CONSERVATIVE activist and Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk has died at 31 after he was shot during an event in Utah.
Graphic video showed a single bullet striking Kirk in the neck, causing him to collapse while hosting an outdoor student debate event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday afternoon.
A person of interest was taken into custody but later released, FBI director Kash Patel said.
The shooter is still at large and officials are asking for any information that could lead to their capture.
Officials described the shooting as a targeted political assassination and said only one shot was fired.
Kirk, an outspoken commentator who frequently appeared on Fox News, was best known for co-founding Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization aimed at organizing students.
Donald Trump posted a video message on Truth Social, saying he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” adding it was a “dark moment for America”.
Trump earlier announced Kirk’s death in a separate Truth Social post, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and their two young children.
ASSASSINATION SCENE
The pro-gun activist was speaking about shootings in the moments before he was murdered at the university with a single gunshot.
Just seconds after he paused during a student Q&A at the school, the shot was heard ringing out in horrifying footage of the shooting.
Blood was seen gushing from Kirk’s neck as he fell off his chair, as bystanders screamed, “Get down! Get down!”
He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead just hours later.
Just minutes before the reports rang out, Kirk’s social media accounts shared videos and pictures of the activist smiling as he met students.
He was speaking about mass killings committed by transgender Americans and was asked how many mass shootings had happened in the US in the past 10 years.
Kirk was beginning to answer by asking, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” when he was hit.
Former Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah who was attending the event, spoke about the immediacy of the violent attack on Fox News.
“I was watching Charlie,” Chaffetz said.
“I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards into his left.”
The politician continued, “As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine.
Chaffetz said he went from watching Kirk speak to looking over to check if his loved ones were safe.
‘LACK OF SECURITY’
One witness, Tyler McGettigan, said he was shocked about how little security there was at the outdoor event, especially after such a large crowd had amassed.
He said that no one even checked the ticket that he brought when he walked up to the amphitheatre where Kirk was speaking.
“I was expecting when I got here that I’d have to pass through some kind of security, but that just wasn’t a thing,” he told NBC News.
“No one checked the barcode or the QR code.
“There was no checkpoint to get in. It was literally, anyone could walk in if they wanted.”
UNIDENTIFIED SUSPECT
One person, described initially as a “suspect” and “person of interest,” was released on Wednesday night after questioning, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed on X.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,” Patel said.
“Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
The shots were fired from the roof of the Losee Center, about 200 yards away from the stage where Kirk spoke, officials said.
Videos taken from the scene appeared to show a figure running across the roof of the Losee Center in the seconds after Kirk was shot.
Another video, apparently taken outside the event before the shooting, appeared to show a person dressed in dark clothing lying down on the roof of the building.
Cops initially arrested a man named George Zim at the scene, but it was later confirmed that he wasn’t the suspect.
He has been booked in the county jail for obstruction of justice, cops said.
The university’s campus was shut down and classes were canceled for the afternoon.
UVU students were told to leave the premises immediately.
“Those on campus, secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus,” wrote the university.
FIRST STOP ON TOUR
Kirk was on campus representing his organization, Turning Point USA, which hosts events advocating for conservative politics.
This was the first stop on the group’s American Comeback Tour, which had multiple more stops scheduled this fall.
Ahead of the tour, a petition was created on August 29 by students who didn’t want Kirk to visit USU.
“Utah State University has consistently worked towards fostering an inclusive space for all its students and faculty,” the Change.org petition said.
“Letting a figurehead, whose speeches often seem to undermine the essence of inclusivity, use our beloved institution as a platform contradicts this mission.”
The petition had over 6,000 signatures before it was closed on Wednesday.
KIRK’S LEGACY
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18, dropping out of college to do so.
The organization inspired spin-off groups including Turning Point Endowment, Turning Point Action, and the website Professor Watchlist.
He quickly became a known presence on cable TV for his early support of Trump’s first presidential bid.
Kirk became close with Trump and went on a mission to make conservatism cool by targeting college campuses.
TRUMP’S MESSAGE
Donald Trump posted a video message on Truth Social, saying he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
The US president said: “Charlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror.
“Charlie is a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loves so much, the United States of America.
“He’s a model for truth and freedom, and there’s never been anyone who was so respected by youth.”
Trump added that “Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith. And we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven,” while asking God to protect Kirk’s wife and children “in this terrible hour of heartache and pain.”
“This is a dark moment for America,” he continued.
Trump also vowed a crackdown on “political violence,” promising his administration would “find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence”.
He said “radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people”, pointing to the assassination attempt against him and the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.
The president has long drawn criticism for blaming the “radical left” for America’s divisions, with opponents arguing his rhetoric has itself fueled violence against his political rivals.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15160349/charlie-kirk-shooting-uvu/