Authorities in Utah and federal agents are still hunting for the gunman who fatally shot US President Donald Trump ally and right-wing activist Charlie Kirk during a packed campus event, an attack the state’s governor condemned as a “political assassination.”
Shooter suspected on rooftop
The Utah department of public safety said the shooting remains “an active investigation,” confirming that two suspects taken into custody had since been released. Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators were combing through security camera footage that appeared to show a figure in dark clothing firing “a longer distance shot” from the roof of a building at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem.
Kirk, 31, was gunned down on Wednesday afternoon while addressing a crowd of about 3,000 students and supporters at UVU. Video footage captured the moment: Kirk, seated beneath a tent and responding to a question on gun violence, suddenly slumped backwards as a single shot cracked across the quad.
Chaos in the crowd
Panic rippled instantly through the audience, with students diving for cover, parents clutching children, and hundreds sprinting from the sound of gunfire.
Kirk was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Outside the hospital that evening, mourners gathered in grief and defiance — draping American flags over the hospital sign and lighting dozens of candles. Homemade placards read: “Peacemakers wanted” and “We love you Charlie Kirk.”
Utah governor Spencer Cox said the attack “was believed to be a targeted assassination,” though the shooter’s identity and motive remain unknown. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” he said, urging an end to the cycle of political violence.
Trump vows to hunt down killer
From the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump vowed vengeance. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity,” Trump declared in a video statement, promising to pursue not only the killer but “the organisations that fund and support” such acts.
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, had long been one of Trump’s most visible allies and a galvanising figure for young conservatives. His death triggered bipartisan shock and sorrow, with Democrats and Republicans alike condemning the killing. Flags were ordered to half-mast across the country in his honour.
As of late Wednesday night, UVU remained under lockdown, police cars with flashing lights sealing off entrances as investigators scoured rooftops and surveillance feeds for any sign of the rooftop assassin who turned a political rally into a national tragedy.
Shooter suspected on rooftop
The Utah department of public safety said the shooting remains “an active investigation,” confirming that two suspects taken into custody had since been released. Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators were combing through security camera footage that appeared to show a figure in dark clothing firing “a longer distance shot” from the roof of a building at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem.
Kirk, 31, was gunned down on Wednesday afternoon while addressing a crowd of about 3,000 students and supporters at UVU. Video footage captured the moment: Kirk, seated beneath a tent and responding to a question on gun violence, suddenly slumped backwards as a single shot cracked across the quad.
Chaos in the crowd
Panic rippled instantly through the audience, with students diving for cover, parents clutching children, and hundreds sprinting from the sound of gunfire.
Kirk was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Outside the hospital that evening, mourners gathered in grief and defiance — draping American flags over the hospital sign and lighting dozens of candles. Homemade placards read: “Peacemakers wanted” and “We love you Charlie Kirk.”
Utah governor Spencer Cox said the attack “was believed to be a targeted assassination,” though the shooter’s identity and motive remain unknown. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” he said, urging an end to the cycle of political violence.
Trump vows to hunt down killer
From the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump vowed vengeance. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity,” Trump declared in a video statement, promising to pursue not only the killer but “the organisations that fund and support” such acts.
Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, had long been one of Trump’s most visible allies and a galvanising figure for young conservatives. His death triggered bipartisan shock and sorrow, with Democrats and Republicans alike condemning the killing. Flags were ordered to half-mast across the country in his honour.
As of late Wednesday night, UVU remained under lockdown, police cars with flashing lights sealing off entrances as investigators scoured rooftops and surveillance feeds for any sign of the rooftop assassin who turned a political rally into a national tragedy.
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