An active search was carried out on Thursday by both local police and federal authorities for the sniper suspected of firing the single bullet that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk while he was responding to a question about gun violence during a university program.
At 31 years old, Kirk worked as both a podcast and radio commentator and had gained a reputation as a strong supporter of Donald Trump. He was credited with playing a role in building Trump’s following among young voters. His life was taken on Wednesday in what Utah Governor Spencer Cox described as an act of political assassination.
RelatedPosts
Also Read: Charlie Kirk Net Worth
The attack, which was recorded in graphic detail and spread rapidly online, occurred during a midday program attended by about 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, located nearly 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.
One of the videos captured the moment blood poured from Kirk’s neck immediately after the shot was fired, and he collapsed in his chair.
Kirk, who co-founded and served as president of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, was declared dead at a nearby hospital hours after the shooting. His death triggered immediate reactions, with both Democrats and Republicans condemning the violence.
Governor Cox stressed that Kirk’s appearances at college campuses were part of an established tradition of open political debate that supported the country’s foundation and protected its basic constitutional freedoms.
“When someone takes the life of another because of their beliefs or values, then the very foundation of constitutional liberty is at risk,” Cox said.
Era Of Political Violence
This incident added to the longest stretch of political violence seen in the United States since the 1970s. Reuters has reported more than 300 cases of politically motivated attacks from different ideological groups since Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump himself has survived two attempts on his life, the first leaving him with a grazed ear during a July 2024 campaign rally, and the second attempt two months later was stopped by federal authorities.
The shooter suspected of firing the fatal round that struck Kirk in the neck, believed to have been positioned on a rooftop on campus, was still at large, according to Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, who spoke during a press briefing four hours after the attack.
Footage from campus security cameras showed a figure dressed in all-dark clothing, thought to be the gunman, Mason told reporters. But eight hours after the shooting, police said no arrests had been made.
On Wednesday night, state police explained in a statement that two men had been taken into custody, with one questioned by investigators, but both were later released.
“The investigation has not established any connection between these two individuals and the shooting,” the statement explained. “The search for the shooter continues.”
Also Read: Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk Killed At 31 In Utah Campus Attack
No Suspects In Custody, Multiple ‘Crime Scenes’
Reports revealed that one of the detained men, an older figure whose photos spread online after the attack, was well known locally for his outspoken political behavior, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Authorities confirmed he was charged with obstruction by university police.
The second man had initially been described by the governor as a “person of interest” connected to the case.
Later that same night, police disclosed that investigators were examining “multiple active crime scenes,” identified based on the area where Kirk was shot as well as the places both the suspect and Kirk had been present.
Kirk, a husband and father of two young children, had just returned from a speaking tour abroad in South Korea and Japan before the attack. The appearance on Wednesday marked his first stop in a 15-event tour that was planned for college campuses across the United States.
Kirk had developed a reputation for controversial speeches on subjects such as race, gender, immigration, and gun control. At his events, he often invited participants to challenge him directly in public debate.
When the gunfire struck, Kirk, known as a strong supporter of the Second Amendment right to bear arms, was answering a question from an attendee about gun violence, as confirmed by multiple video clips shared online.
In a recorded video message from the Oval Office and released on Trump’s Truth Social platform, the president promised that his administration would pursue those responsible for Kirk’s killing.
Trump, who often describes his critics, political rivals, and judges as “radical left lunatics” and warns that they threaten the nation, used the message to condemn heated political speech, while blaming much of it on the left.
“For many years, those on the radical left have compared good Americans like Charlie to Nazis and to the worst criminals and mass killers,” Trump said in the message recorded in the Oval Office. “That type of speech is directly fueling the terrorism we see today in this country, and it has to stop immediately.”
