Zim Now Writer
Charlie Kirk, the outspoken conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Authorities described the attack as a politically motivated assassination carried out from a rooftop.
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Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the killing, calling it “a dark day for our state and a tragic day for our nation… this is a political assassination.”
The 31-year-old Kirk, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was in Utah for the opening stop of his “American Comeback Tour.”
Videos circulating online show him speaking to the crowd when a single gunshot rang out, striking him in the neck as horrified spectators screamed and fled.
Police said no suspect was in custody late Wednesday but confirmed they were pursuing a new person of interest. Two earlier detainees were cleared of involvement and released. The Utah Department of Public Safety estimated that about 3,000 people attended the event, which had drawn campus controversy and protests in the days prior.
The campus was evacuated following the shooting, with classes suspended indefinitely as heavily armed officers searched nearby neighbourhoods for the gunman.
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