Charlie Kirk, a popular right-wing commentator who co-founded the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA, was shot dead on Wednesday at a speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
US President Donald Trump described the killing as a “dark moment for America” and said Mr Kirk, 31, was a “martyr for truth and freedom”.
“For years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals,” Mr Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social.
“This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today.”
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A police mugshot shows Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of U. S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U. S. , in this photo released by the Utah Department of Public Safety. REUTERS -
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference announcing details on the suspect in the shooting of U. S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U. S. REUTERS -
Utah Governor Spencer Cox gestures as he speaks during a press conference announcing details on the suspect in the shooting of U. S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U. S. REUTERS -
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference announcing details on the suspect in the shooting of U. S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U. S. REUTERS -
The FBI has released images of a person of interest in the investigation into the shooting of right-wing US commentator Charlie Kirk. AFP -
US Vice President JD Vance, right, his wife Usha Vance, centre, and Mr Kirk's widow, Erika Frantzve, arrive in Phoenix, Arizona. His body has been moved to the city. AP -
The casket carrying Mr Kirk's body is removed from the aircraft. He was shot at Utah Valley University. Reuters -
FBI director Kash Patel, centre, visits the scene of the deadly shooting, in Orem, Utah. Reuters -
Mr Kirk, a right-wing youth activist and influencer, speaks at Utah Valley University minutes before he was shot dead. AFP -
A woman takes cover behind a planter after the shooting, in Orem, Utah. Reuters -
Law enforcement officials on the campus after the shooting. AP -
A vigil for Mr Kirk at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. Reuters -
A well-wisher unfurls an American flag in Scottsdale, Arizona. AP -
A vigil in Scottsdale. AP -
A banner is installed outside Mr Kirk's Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix. AP -
Mr Kirk and and his wife watch The Village People perform in January in Washington, DC. Getty Images
Mr Trump issued a presidential proclamation ordering flags to fly at half-mast until Sunday “as a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk”.
Bystanders told the Deseret News that Mr Kirk was shot during a question session with students. Videos posted online showed people running away. One video showed Mr Kirk being shot, with blood pouring down his neck as he sat under a tent with the slogans “Prove Me Wrong” and “The American Comeback” written on it.
A representative for the university told The New York Times that Mr Kirk had been shot by a gunman from a building about 180 metres away.
There was confusion over the manhunt, with FBI director Kash Patel initially writing on social media that the “subject” had been detained, before taking it back an hour later.
No one was in custody overnight as authorities sought a new person of interest in the assassination, the Utah Department of Public Safety said.
Vice President JD Vance described Mr Kirk as a “genuinely good guy and a young father”.
Mr Kirk was a strong advocate for the Trump administration, rallying donors and voters, especially younger men, during Mr Trump's election campaign last year.
His killing is the latest in a wave of political violence that has swept America in recent years. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state legislator and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas releases hostages in Gaza, and a fire at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April.
Mr Trump was also the target of an assassination attempt on the campaign trail in July last year. The attack killed a person who was attending the rally and injured Mr Trump and two others.
California Governor Gavin Newsom described the attack on Mr Kirk, who was well known for his podcast and university campus debates, as “vile and reprehensible”.
