Here’s what to know about Kirk’s shooting:
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point USA at Utah Valley University when authorities said the shooter fired from a distant rooftop.
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent. A single shot rings out and Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck.
Utah Valley is the state’s largest public university with an enrollment of 47,000. It’s about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the state capital of Salt Lake City.
The shooter targeted one person, said Beau Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Police were working Thursday to identify the shooter who authorities say “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with the college population. After firing the shot, the shooter jumped from the roof and slipped away in the mayhem. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was recovered from area, according to the FBI.
Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.” Little information about the shooter’s identity, motive, location or evidence have been provided.
Authorities were reviewing grainy security videos of a mysterious person in dark clothing.
Gov. Spencer Cox called the killing a “political assassination.”
A person of interest was in custody Wednesday evening, Cox said, though no charges were immediately announced. Officials had no information indicating a second person was involved, the Republican governor said.
Officers were seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people near the scene of the shooting.
Two people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said.
The university said the campus was immediately evacuated and remained closed. Classes were canceled until further notice. Those still on campus were asked to stay in place until police officers could safely escort them off.
Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination for president in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to the then-candidate’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during the general election campaign.
Contributions to the group doubled and then tripled — eventually climbing to $79.2 million in 2022, according to an analysis of publicly available tax filings. The group states that it now has a presence on nearly 4,000 high school and college campuses, operating as a conservative lifestyle brand that promotes hundreds of online influencers.
“I’m sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified,’” Kirk said during a 2024 podcast episode with fellow right-wing activist Jack Posobiec.
He described Kirk on Truth Social as a “great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X: “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”
