American conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, an influential ally of US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday at an event at a Utah university.
Kirk, 31, was an influential ally of Trump and co-founder of Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organization in the country. "Charlie Kirk has been shot at Utah Valley University," a Kirk spokesperson told NBC.
Authorities said they still had no suspect in custody as of Wednesday night, some eight hours after the midday shooting at Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah, during an event attended by 3,000 people.
The lone perpetrator suspected of firing the single gunshot that killed Kirk, 31, apparently from a distant rooftop sniper's nest on campus, remained "at large," said Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, at a news conference four hours later.
State police issued a statement on Wednesday night saying that two men had been detained and one was interrogated by law enforcement, but both were subsequently released.
"There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals," the statement said. "There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter."
In a video message taped in the Oval Office and posted to Trump's Truth Social online platform, the president vowed that his administration would track down the suspect.
"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," Trump said.
"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," Trump said on Truth Social.
Cellphone video clips of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk addressing a large outdoor crowd when a loud crack that sounded like a gunshot rang out. Kirk can be seen briefly moving his hand to his neck as he falls off his chair, sending the attendees running.
Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X.
The suspect likely fired from a rooftop at a significant distance, authorities said, adding that there were about 3,000 people attending the event. Jeff Long, chief of the university police department, said that he had six officers working the event, and that he coordinated with the head of Kirk's private security team, which was also on site.
Trump ordered all government US flags flown at half-staff until Sunday in Kirk's honor.
The killing was the latest in a series of attacks on US political figures, including two assassination attempts of Trump last year, that have underscored a sharp rise in political violence.
"This is a dark day for our state, it's a tragic day for our nation," Cox said at the press conference. "I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination."
Trump, who routinely describes political rivals, judges, and others who stand in his way as "radical left lunatics" and warns that they pose an existential threat to the nation, decried violent 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," Trump said in the video. "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, Netanyahu send prayers as tributes pour in
Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Trump in November. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.
"We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot," Trump said on X. "A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also posted on X/Twitter following the shooting, saying that he is praying for Kirk.
Kirk has been an effective voice for the conservative movement. He has 5.2 million followers on X and hosts a popular podcast and radio program, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He has also recently co-hosted "Fox & Friends" on Fox News.
Politically motivated violence
Kirk's assassination came amid a spike in political-related violence over the past few years.
In July 2024, Trump was grazed by a gunman's bullet during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. A second assassination attempt two months later was foiled by federal agents.
In April, an arsonist broke into Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence and set it on fire while the family was inside.
Earlier this year, a gunman posing as a police officer in Minnesota murdered state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shot Senator John Hoffman and his wife. And in Boulder, Colorado, a man used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to attack a solidarity event for Israeli hostages, killing one woman and injuring at least six more.
Both Republican and Democratic politicians expressed support for Kirk following the shooting.
"Political violence is NEVER acceptable," Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, said on X. "My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family."
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, "Please join us in praying for our good friend, Charlie Kirk."
The US is undergoing its most sustained period of political violence since the 1970s. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts since supporters of Trump attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In July 2024, Republican Trump was grazed by a gunman's bullet during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. A second assassination attempt two months later was foiled by federal agents, with opening arguments in that suspect's trial set to begin on Thursday.
In April, an arsonist broke into Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence and set it on fire while the family was inside.
Earlier this year, a gunman posing as a police officer in Minnesota murdered Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shot Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife. And in Boulder, Colorado, a man used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to attack a solidarity event for Israeli hostages, killing one woman and injuring at least six more.
In 2022, a man broke into Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer, leaving him with skull fractures and other injuries. In 2020, a group of right-wing militia members plotted unsuccessfully to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.