Authorities are intensifying the manhunt for the gunman who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event in Orem, Utah, as federal investigators analyze security footage of a suspect "dressed in all dark clothing." The killing of the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder has sparked bipartisan condemnation and renewed concerns about escalating political violence across the country.
Kirk was shot at approximately 12:10 p.m. Wednesday while speaking in the outdoor quad at Utah Valley University, just minutes into the first stop of his "American Comeback Tour." Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting a "political assassination" and vowed the suspect would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, noting Utah still allows the death penalty.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason confirmed that investigators are working with grainy security camera footage from campus. "We do know, dressed in all dark clothing," Mason said. "But we don't have a much better description other than that." DPS said the shot was fired from a rooftop about 200 yards from Kirk's location, and the attack is believed to have been targeted.
Authorities initially detained two individuals, one of whom was charged with obstruction, but both were released after questioning. "There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals," DPS said. The FBI and DPS are jointly leading the investigation alongside local law enforcement and have asked the public to share any photos or videos from the event.
Roughly 3,000 attendees were present when the single shot rang out, sending students and guests scrambling for cover. "The amount of blood I saw immediately, I just don't see how someone would survive from that, and it's a tragedy," said Emma Pitts, a Deseret News reporter who was at the event. Kirk was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
President Donald Trump announced Kirk's death on Truth Social, calling him "Great, and even Legendary," and later released a video message condemning the attack as a "heinous assassination." Trump ordered U.S. flags flown at half-staff through Sunday and said, "No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."
Utah Valley University has canceled classes and closed its campus through the weekend. "Our hearts go out to his family," the school said in a statement, adding that it was working with law enforcement to secure the campus and assist students.
