US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem. Authorities said the killing, described by Utah Governor Spencer Cox as a “political assassination,” triggered a massive manhunt for a lone sniper.
The 31-year-old was addressing an outdoor crowd of about 3,000 people when a single gunshot rang out around 12:20 p.m. local time. Videos circulating online showed Kirk reaching for his neck before collapsing as panicked spectators fled. Another clip showed blood gushing from his neck seconds after the shot.
Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, confirmed that the suspected shooter remained “at large” hours after the attack. He said the shot appeared to have been fired from a rooftop sniper’s nest on campus.
State police later announced that two men had been detained and one questioned, but both were released. “There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals. There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter,” the statement read.
Trump, in a video message from the Oval Office posted on Truth Social, vowed to bring those responsible to justice. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it,” he said.
Governor Cox described the killing as a tragedy for the nation. “This is a dark day for our state, it’s a tragic day for our nation. I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination,” he told reporters.
Trump ordered all government flags flown at half-staff until Sunday in Kirk’s honour. He condemned what he called a climate of dangerous political rhetoric. “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now,” Trump said.
The shooting came during Kirk’s first stop on a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” at universities nationwide. Moments before the attack, Kirk had been responding to a student’s question about mass shootings. “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?” the student asked. Kirk replied, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” He was shot seconds later.
Kirk, a married father of two, co-founded Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organisation in the US. He was widely credited with mobilising younger voters and voters of colour to support Trump’s re-election campaign. Trump himself said after his victory, “You had Turning Point’s grassroots armies. It’s not my victory, it’s your victory.”
With 5.3 million followers on X and a popular podcast and radio show, The Charlie Kirk Show, he was a central figure in the pro-Trump influencer ecosystem, alongside Jack Posobiec, Laura Loomer and Candace Owens. Kirk also made frequent appearances on Fox News and recently co-hosted Fox & Friends.
On Capitol Hill, an attempt to observe a moment of silence for Kirk dissolved into shouting and finger-pointing among lawmakers. At the White House, staffers who admired him were described as visibly shaken by the news.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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