Police are still hunting for the gunman who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a crowded event at Utah Valley University.
The 31-year-old, best known as the founder of Turning Point USA, was struck in the neck by a single bullet while speaking to students outdoors. The campus has been on lockdown as heavily armed officers search for the shooter.
The attack happened just after 12:20 p.m. local time (18:20 GMT) in front of at least 3,000 people. Students were seen running for cover as the gunfire rang out. No one else was injured.
Officials believe the suspect, dressed in black, fired from a nearby rooftop in what they are calling a “targeted attack.” Two people were briefly detained for questioning but later released. One, George Zinn, was charged with obstruction of justice but not tied to the shooting.
“The investigation and manhunt for the shooter are ongoing,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement Wednesday night.
Videos verified by BBC show Kirk moments before the shot, sitting under a white tent marked with the slogans “THE AMERICAN COMEBACK” and “PROVE ME WRONG.” In another clip, Kirk can be heard discussing gun violence in the U.S. before the sound of a gunshot cuts him off. Witnesses say he immediately collapsed.
Students and journalists who were there described chaos and horror. “It looked like a fountain of blood came out of his neck,” said Emma Pitts of the Deseret News. “His body went limp and then his eyes closed.”
Security at the event is now under scrutiny. Only six police officers were working alongside Kirk’s private security team. Reporters noted that no bag checks or equipment scans were carried out.
Kirk’s wife and children were present at the event, according to Sen. Markwayne Mullins of Oklahoma.
Tributes poured in from across the country. Former President Donald Trump called Kirk’s killing “a dark moment for America,” praising him as “a patriot who devoted his life to free debate.” Trump ordered flags on federal buildings to be flown at half-mast and blamed the shooting on “radical left political violence.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the attack as a “political assassination” and said the death penalty could be on the table if the killer is caught.
The shock spread far beyond U.S. borders, with statements of sympathy coming from every living former American president as well as leaders in the UK, Canada, Israel, Italy, and Argentina.
“Charlie Kirk’s voice will not be silenced,” Republican Congressman Mike Kennedy told the BBC. “Americans will continue to speak freely, as he did his entire life.”
