Trump ally Charlie Kirk has died after being shot at university event, with suspect still at large – latest updates

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In May, Kirk told supporters of his political campaign group Turning Point Action that he was endorsing Republican congressman Andy Biggs to run against Hobbs in 2026. “To secure President Trump’s legacy we need to win in 2028,” Kirk said. “To do that, we need to lock down Arizona, and doing that starts with taking down Katie Hobbs and winning back the governor’s mansion.”

Open-source investigators study video for signs of the shooter

As the police continue to search for the person who shot Charlie Kirk, online sleuths are studying video taken just before and after the shooting for clues as to the person location and identity.

Law enforcement officials told CNN that they have not yet identified a suspect.

Blake Spendley, a former researcher for the Center for Naval Analyses, who now conducts open-source intelligence (Osint) investigations for Hunterbrook Media, posted a video clip on his popular @OSINTTechnical X account showing what appeared to be a figure on the roof of a building on campus before the shooting.

Spendley also posted a second video clip that appeared to show a person running away across the roof after the shooting.

Here is a statement on the killing of Charlie Kirk from the House speaker, Mike Johnson:

Utterly devastating. Charlie was a close friend and confidant. He will be sorely missed by so many. Every political leader must loudly and clearly decry this violence. Our prayers go out to his wife and young children. May he rest in peace.

This visualization of the Utah Valley University campus shows where Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on Wednesday, with the reported location of the person who opened fire, according to a university spokesperson:

Interim summary: what we know so far after Charlie Kirk shooting death

Charlie Kirk, a Trump ally and rightwing activist, has been shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. Here’s what we know so far:

• Kirk, 31, died after being shot during a presentation on campus. Donald Trump first announced the death in a Truth Social post.

• Donald Trump wrote: “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. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

• Campus police are investigating the incident. The university said the suspect is not in custody. A person arrested earlier has been released and is no longer a suspect.

• Kirk, the executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was shot at about 12.10pm local time while appearing at an event. In video posts circulating on social media, Kirk can be seen getting struck while speaking and sitting beneath a tent. Kirk was there as part of the American Comeback tour, which is hosted by the TPUSA chapter at Utah Valley. Video footage shows students on campus running away from the sound of gunshots.

• Kirk was about 20 minutes into a presentation when a shot was fired from a nearby building, the university told CNBC. The university has said a “single shot” was fired towards Kirk.

• Political leaders in the US immediately condemned the attack. Joe Biden, the former US president, tweeted: “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”

• Barack Obama also condemned political violence, writing on X: We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children

• Senior Democrats and Republicans also condemned the shooting. Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Chuck Schumer and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among Democrats who condemned the attack. JD Vance, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth paid tribute to Kirk and asked the public to pray for him.

• The House speaker, Mike Johnson, told reporters in the Capitol: “Political violence has become all too common in American society. This is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country.”

• In an internal email to staff members that was posted online on Wednesday, the Turning Point USA COO, Justin Streiff, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that earlier this afternoon Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven … However, in the meantime, Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action will be closed for business until Monday, the 15th – likely longer.”

• The White House lowered its flag to half-staff in Kirk’s honor.

Obama, Biden and Harris condemn shooting of Charlie Kirk

Former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and the former vice-president Kamala Harris, have all condemned the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk in posts on social media.

While the motive of the person who shot Kirk remains unknown, as police hunt for a suspect, all three Democrats argued that political violence must be condemned.

“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Obama wrote. “Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” Biden wrote on social media. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”

“I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah”, Harris wrote before news of Kirkj’s death was announced by Donald Trump. “Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family. Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”

White House lowers flag to half-staff in honor of Charlie Kirk

The newly installed flag on the north lawn of the White House was lowered to half-staff on Tuesday afternoon, after Donald Trump announced the death of Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while debating students at Utah Valley University on Tuesday.

Trump wrote on social media that he was ordering all American flags to be lowered across the country until Sunday evening.

University confirms man detained after fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk is no longer a suspect

A spokesperson for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treanor, tells the Guardian: “A suspect was in custody, but they are no longer a suspect.”

In a statement, Treanor added:

It is with the tremendous sadness and shock that Charlie Kirk, who was invited by the student group TPUSA, was shot at about 12:20 when he began speaking at his planned event on the Utah Valley University Orem Campus. Kirk was immediately transported by his security team to a local hospital.

Campus was immediately evacuated. Campus is closed and classes have been canceled until further notice. We are asking those still on campus to secure in place until police officers can safely escort them off campus.

The incident is currently being investigated by four agencies: Orem Police, UVU Police, FBI, and Utah Department of Public Safety.

Hasan Piker, progressive influencer, says only gun control could have saved Charlie Kirk

Among those coming to terms with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday is the progressive streamer, Hasan Piker, who was scheduled to debate Kirk at Dartmouth College in two weeks.

On his Twitch live stream, Piker expressed horror at the shooting, and urged his followers not to celebrate it, but told viewers to stop writing in to tell him to wear a bulletproof vest or hire security for his public appearances.

“I don’t have any security,” Piker told his viewers. “It shouldn’t be like this.” He went on to argue that only gun control could prevent mass shootings.

“In a moment like this, a reasonable government would say: ‘Alright, enough is enough,’” Piker said. “If we had a responsible government and not a bunch of fucking psychopaths running the show,” he added, the US would already have had serious gun control following the massacre at at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.

“I need to really reconsider the way I do everything outside, for the forseeable future,” Piker said.

“Before people say: ‘Wear a bulletproof vest,’ again, he got shot in the neck,” Piker said. “A bulletproof vest would not have saved Charlie Kirk.”

“The only thing that could have potentially saved Charlie Kirk,” he added, “was if our administrations, prior to this one and this one as well, actually had reasonable gun control as a policy position, in the aftermath of, I don’t know, a hundred other school shootings.”

'This is not who we are,' says House speaker Mike Johnson

The House speaker, Mike Johnson, told reporters in the Capitol a few minutes ago: “Political violence has become all too common in American society. This is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country.”

Trump announces death of Charlie Kirk

Writing on his social network, Donald Trump just announced the death of Charlie Kirk.

Trump wrote:

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. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!

Trump tells New York Post Charlie Kirk is 'not doing well'

A White House correspondent for the New York Post reports that she just spoke with Donald Trump on the phone about Charlie Kirk.

“He’s not doing well,” Trump told Diana Nerozzi. “It looks very bad.”

She then asked Trump how he was feeling. He replied: “Not good. He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person.”

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