MAGA ally and conservative activist Charlie Kirk was on Wednesday shot dead by an unknown shooter while speaking at Utah Valley University.
US President Donald Trump along with prominent voices in the MAGA movement dubbed Kirk as a "martyr" for conservative values.
Kirk "fought for liberty, democracy, justice and the American people. He's a martyr for truth and freedom," Trump said in a video posted to his Truth Social platform.
How the attack unfoldedThe last wordsKirk was addressing students under a white tent with the slogan “The American Comeback.”
During the conversation, Kirk was asked: "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?" Kirk replied, "Too many." The same attendee then asked, "Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk responded, "Counting or not counting gang violence?"
Officials confirmed Kirk was the only person injured in the incident, which occurred around midday.
Seconds later, a gunshot rang out, sending the crowd into chaos.
Kirk shot in the neckAccording to the video footage circulating on social media, the conservative activist was shot in the neck. Carrying a microphone in his hand, he slumped back as blood poured from his neck.
He was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
The university immediately went into lockdown as police searched the campus. Utah Valley University, the state’s largest public university with nearly 47,000 students, immediately issued a “secure in place” order and closed its campus.
Suspect still at largeDespite initial reports of a person being taken into custody, officials later confirmed the suspect remains at large. Orem mayor David Young told reporters that authorities were still actively searching for the shooter.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that the suspect, who was detained, has been released after interrogation.
He had announced the arrest of a person from the scene, praising law enforcement’s quick action. “The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel had written on X.
Utah Gov Spencer Cox said officials believe only one “person involved” in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus. “No information suggests a second person,” he stated Wednesday. However, investigators are still seeking anyone with more details. A person of interest is currently in custody and being interviewed, according to the governor.
Was the shooter at the event or at a nearby building?The university claimed that the shooter was in a nearby building, 200 yards away from where Charlie Kirk was shooting. But police have not confirmed anything about the shooter.
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Did the bullet come from the rooftop?Eyewitnesses present on the ground recalled the moment the bullet was shot and claimed that it must be a professional shot and it hit Charlie Kirk right in the neck.
Trump mourns 'legendary' Kirk’s deathPresident Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, describing him as “the Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk.” Trump added: “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.
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What were Charlie Kirk's last words?He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.” Speaking later to the New York Post, Trump called him “a very, very good friend of mine and a tremendous person.” Melania Trump also joined in sending condolences to Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their two young children.
Eyewitness accountsWitnesses offered graphic details of the shooting. Chaffetz, visibly shaken, told Fox News that the crowd “hit the deck” immediately after the shot. Sophie Anderson, a bystander, said: “He was shot in the neck and just fell over… he was just a fountain of blood.”
Students described panic as people rushed to escape the courtyard, fearing further gunfire.
Kirk had become one of the most influential MAGA voices in recent years. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, volunteering for political campaigns while still in high school and even organizing to overturn a cafeteria price hike. He enrolled at Harper College but later dropped out to devote himself full-time to political activism.