BREAKING: Manhunt Underway After Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Fatally Shot at Utah University

Authorities are still searching for the sniper who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a university appearance in Utah. On Thursday, law enforcement officials reported they had located the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the killing, though the shooter remains at large.
Kirk, 31, a prominent podcast and radio commentator with close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump, was killed by a single gunshot while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, roughly 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. Utah Governor Spencer Cox described the killing as a political assassination.
The event, titled “Prove Me Wrong,” drew a crowd of around 3,000 people. Graphic video of the incident quickly spread across the internet, showing the moment Kirk was shot while onstage.
According to the FBI and state officials, the gunman arrived shortly before the event began and was captured on security footage climbing stairwells to reach a nearby rooftop. From there, he fired a single round before fleeing into an adjacent neighbourhood.
“The shooter jumped off the roof and fled into an adjoining neighbourhood,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said. Investigators recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle in a nearby wooded area and are examining palm prints and footprints left at the scene for additional leads.
The suspect is believed to be of college age and “blended in well” with the campus crowd, said Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.
Kirk, who co-founded and led the conservative student organisation Turning Point USA, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead hours later. His death drew swift condemnation and expressions of outrage from across the political spectrum, as well as from international leaders.
Cox emphasised the importance of civil discourse, especially on college campuses, stating:

“When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened.”

Vice President JD Vance canceled a planned trip to New York for the September 11 memorial events and instead traveled to Utah to visit Kirk’s family, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Kirk began his political career in his teens and quickly rose through the ranks of conservative circles. In a tribute posted online, Vance highlighted Kirk’s influence in shaping the current administration:

“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organise and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”

The shooting comes amid a broader rise in politically motivated violence in the United States—the most sustained period since the 1970s. More than 300 such incidents have occurred since supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
President Trump has survived two assassination attempts during his current term—one in July 2024, in which he was grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally, and another two months later that was foiled by federal agents.
Two individuals were detained Wednesday evening for questioning, but the FBI said Thursday that neither were suspects. One of them, an older man seen in viral photos shortly after the shooting, was known locally as a political gadfly. He was charged with obstruction by university police and released.
Kirk, who was married with two young children, had just returned from a speaking tour in South Korea and Japan. His appearance at Utah Valley University was part of a 15-stop “American Comeback Tour” targeting college campuses nationwide.
Well known for his provocative takes on issues such as race, gender, immigration, and gun control, Kirk frequently used campus events as platforms for live debates.

“He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions,” Vance wrote in his tribute. “If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he’d encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak.”

According to several online videos, Kirk was responding to a question about gun violence at the moment he was shot—a poignant detail, given his vocal support for the Second Amendment.
In a video address recorded in the Oval Office, President Trump promised to pursue justice:

“This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”

He also condemned the tone of political discourse, particularly from the left, stating:

“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.”