Authorities said they had no suspect in custody as of Wednesday night, some eight hours after the midday shooting at Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah, during an event attended by 3,000 people.
The lone perpetrator suspected of firing the single gunshot that killed Charlie Kirk, 31, apparently from a distant rooftop sniper’s nest on campus, remained “at large,” said Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. State police later issued a statement saying two men had been detained and questioned, but both were subsequently released. “There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,” the statement said. “There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter.”
In a video message posted to his Truth Social platform, President Trump vowed that his administration would find the suspect. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it,” Trump said.
Cellphone video clips of the killing posted online showed Kirk addressing a large outdoor crowd around 12:20 p.m. MT when a gunshot rang out. Kirk moved his hand toward his neck as he fell from his chair, causing onlookers to run. In another clip, blood could be seen gushing from his neck immediately after the shot.
Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox said, “I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination.” With the suspect still at large, there was no clear evidence of a motive.
Trump, who often uses fiery rhetoric against his political opponents, decried violent political rhetoric in his video message. “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” Trump said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
The Rising Trend of Political Violence
The killing was the latest in a series of attacks on US political figures, including two assassination attempts on Trump last year, that have underscored a sharp rise in political violence. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts since the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
In July 2024, Republican Trump was grazed by a gunman’s bullet during a campaign event. A second assassination attempt two months later was foiled by federal agents. In April, an arsonist set fire to Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence while his family was inside.
Earlier this year, a gunman murdered Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband in Minnesota and shot Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife. In 2022, a man broke into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer. In 2020, a group of right-wing militia members plotted unsuccessfully to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.
Kirk’s Role and Legacy
The moment before he was shot, Kirk was being questioned by an audience member about gun violence. He had just responded, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” when the fatal shot was fired.
Kirk and the organization he co-founded, Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth group in the country, played a key role in mobilizing young voter support for Trump in November. After winning his second presidential term, Trump credited Kirk for helping to bring in younger voters and voters of color.
Kirk had 5.3 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) and hosted a popular podcast and radio program, “The Charlie Kirk Show.” He frequently engaged in “culture-war” issues around race, gender, and immigration in a provocative style.
