Manhunt After Trump Ally Killed at Campus Event
BBC News
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A manhunt is ongoing for the killer of conservative activist and influential Trump ally Charlie Kirk, who died after being shot at a university in Utah
Two people who were arrested have since been released – officials say they have "no current ties" to the shooting
It's not clear if police have any leads on the gunman – but authorities don't seem to think they're still on campus, our reporter at Utah Valley University writes
Meanwhile, Trump says he is "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", calling it a "dark moment for America" in a video message
Trump is visibly angry and upset – this feels like a dangerous moment in America, our North America editor Sarah Smith writes
Officials believe Kirk was shot from a roof – BBC Verify examines a video which people claim could show a gunman
Kirk, who founded conservative group Turning Point USA aged 18, was close to the president and his family – read our profile here
Edited by Jamie Whitehead and Dulcie Lee with Regan Morris reporting from Utah Valley university
Phil Lyman, former Republican state representative in Utah, had been handing out baseball caps with Kirk shortly before the shooting.
He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I was on the stage with him when he started talking.
"I left – I went to find some other people, so I wasn't next to him when he was shot.
"I don't know if I am happy about that or if I wish I could have been there."
Speaking of the shooting, Lyman says: "3,000 kids basically watched someone shot right in front of them – it was really traumatic."
"[This is] a really pivotal point in America – he was probably the most influential person for young people especially in the conservative movement,” he continues.
"There's going to be some real repercussions here and what I hope happens is people understand what Charlie stood for – his Christian values, his love of family and freedom and that they don't get scared away from that because I believe that's what someone is trying to do is scare us away from those principles.”
The mayor of Orem City, home to the Utah Valley University, tells Newsday on the BBC World Service that the news of Charlie Kirk’s killing is “devastating”.
"It's so foreign for our community,” David Young says.
“Orem is about 100,000 people strong who live here and we are a very peaceful, safe, engaged, kind. We just don't have this sort of thing here,” he continues.
“I can't think of the last time someone was murdered. It just doesn't happen. And so to have someone like Charlie Kirk to come to our college and have this happen is horrific."
Young describes the killing as a "deep, black, evil spot to deal with… and a lot of our residents are just not okay."
Candlelit vigils in Kirk’s memory are planned in the city, Young confirms.
“We’ve been a city for 105 years we've never had anything like this," Young says. 
Sarah Smith
North America editor
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Watch: 'Dark moment for America', says Trump after Kirk killing
Visibly angry and upset, Donald Trump described Charlie Kirk as a martyr for truth and freedom, as he paid tribute to a man he considered to be not just a close friend, but also someone who played a significant role in his re-election and in shaping the MAGA movement.
Trump directly blamed radical left-wing politics for contributing to this atrocity and other recent violent political attacks.
He noticeably did not mention recent murders and violent attacks against Democrats.
Often atrocities like this create an atmosphere of political unity.
Many senior politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have responded by saying this kind of violence has no place in American democracy.
But there is also a widespread, furious and febrile reaction among followers of Trump and Kirk which is demanding retribution. This feels like a dangerous moment in America.
Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Utah
Charlie Kirk was doing what he often did, giving a talk and going into his "prove me wrong" style debate, when a figure wearing dark clothing appeared on a roof and fired a single shot, hitting him on his carotid artery.
The footage on social media is gruesome.
Eyewitnesses described seeing a fountain of blood gushing from his neck as he raised his arm.
Kirk’s own personal security was there, and they took him in a private car to hospital where he was declared dead.
This has set off a lot off a lot of fear in the US about the future of the country and about political divisions here.
We heard from all the living former presidents about the need for disagreements not to descend into violence.
But now there is some rhetoric in the right-wing media to avenge Charlie Kirk's death and complete his mission.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says the death of Charlie Kirk is "heartbreaking".
In a post on X, he says "a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband."
Starmer adds that we must be "free to debate openly and freely without fear – there can be no justification for political violence."
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she is "deeply shocked", while the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch describes the killing as "a blow to everything Western civilization stands for: open discourse, robust debate and peaceful dissent.”
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also posted on X, saying “political violence should have no place in society.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted a black and white photograph of himself with Kirk, along with the message "this is a very dark day for American democracy".
As it approaches midnight in Utah, we're continuing to bring you the latest updates following the shooting of Charlie Kirk at an event at Utah Valley University.
If you're just joining us now – here are the details of what we know, and what we don’t.
What we do know
What we don't know
You can read more in our news story – Charlie Kirk shooting: What we know about death of close Trump ally
Regan Morris
Reporting from Orem, Utah
The manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s killer is still ongoing – but authorities don’t seem to think he’s still on campus at Utah Valley University.
While police were going door to door for a while, the lockdown is over, according to local police.
Classes are still cancelled, and police are still guarding the entrances to campus to stop people driving in.
But students who fled are being allowed to walk back onto campus to go home or get things from their vehicles.
It’s not clear if police have any leads on where the shooter might be – but it doesn’t look like a manhunt is happening on campus.
It's just coming up to 23:30 in Utah where Charlie Kirk – an influential ally of Donald Trump – was fatally shot about 12 hours ago while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University.
If you're just joining us now, here's a quick summary of the latest developments:
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.
In a lengthy post on X, US vice president JD Vance has paid tribute to Charlie Kirk as a "true friend" and a "great family man".
"A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson's Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on Twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today," he wrote in a post on X.
"Charlie was fascinated by ideas and always willing to learn and change his mind," Vance said. "Like me, he was skeptical of Donald Trump in 2016. Like me, he came to see President Trump as the only figure capable of moving American politics away from the globalism that had dominated for our entire lives."
"I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other's chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones."
"You ran a good race, my friend," Vance wrote at the end of his post. "We've got it from here."
The sister of murdered British MP Jo Cox has condemned the "dreadful" killing of Charlie Kirk.
On a post on X, Kim Leadbeater said: "Whatever our political views and differences, there is no place for violence in our politics," she wrote.
"Tonight two children have lost their Dad. Devastating. We need a global reset on what we want our politics to look like."
Leadbeater, whose sister was killed in 2016 by a neo-Nazi, is currently a Labour MP in her sister's former constituency.
Nardine Saad
US reporter in Los Angeles
Jimmy Kimmel is often in the crosshairs of President Trump
Here's some more reaction from US celebrities to the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, including those from opposing political viewpoints.
Late-night chat show host Jimmy Kimmel on Instagram writes that "instead of angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?"
Kimmel, who is often in the crosshairs of President Trump, adds: "On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fell victim to senseless gun violence."
Glee actor Kevin McHale writes on X that "America is a failed state. "No other culture in the world ties identity to unrestricted gun ownership. It’s so bizarre, and not worth the horror a crazy person (regardless of political party) with a gun can do to masses of people."
Nardine Saad
US reporter in Los Angeles
Schwarzenegger said that "politics has become a disease" in the US
The sudden death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk came as a shock to many, including outspoken celebrities who have in the past opposed his conservative rhetoric.
Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger writes that "politics has become a disease in this country, and it’s deadly".
"We must… walk back from the extremes. If we can’t agree on anything else, we must find agreement that we don’t solve our debates with violence," Schwarzenegger writes on X.
Marvel star and Schwarzenegger's son-in-law Chris Pratt adds he is "praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country. We need God’s grace. God help us".
Watch two key moments from Kirk's career in politics, including the 2020 Republican convention when he addressed the audience at the age of 26.
He told Republican delegates about the "angst" of youth, and called for Americans to support Trump over Joe Biden in the election.
"I am here tonight to tell you, to warn you, that this election is a decision between preserving America as we know it, and eliminating everything that we love," he said.
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Watch: Charlie Kirk's speech from 2020 and interaction with Vance last year
Nardine Saad
US reporter in Los Angeles
An online petition asking university administrators to cancel Kirk's speaking engagement on the UVU campus had drawn more than 6,000 supporters.
The conservative influencer, who had been speaking on his American Comeback Tour, was described by organisers on petition site Change.org as "a highly polarizing figure" who "does not align with the core values and ideology that Utah State University strives to epitomize".
"As a university deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, it stands at odds with the messages frequently associated with Charlie Kirk and his platform. Allowing him to speak on our campus would not only misrepresent the values we hold dear but also create an environment where divisive rhetoric could flourish," the petition said.
According to US media, Utah Valley University had issued a statement citing the institution's commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry and constructive dialogue.
In a television interview on Fox News, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he was "very angry with what happened today".
"Obviously they gotta catch this guy. We need a very quick death penalty prosecution. I don't wanna see this take forever and a day. We need justice for this," he said.
There are 27 states that execute inmates for certain violent crimes, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The governor of Utah – where the incident took place – had earlier reminded journalists that the death penalty is still in force in Utah.
Utah is one of five states that authorise death by firing squad.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
As the 31-year-old Charlie Kirk sat under a tent, debating political opponents taking their turn at a microphone, many gathered on the lawns cheered – and some protested. Seconds later, they were all running in terror.
The activist was struck in the neck by a bullet, mortally wounded.
The images will be hard to forget – particularly for the many young conservatives for whom Kirk held celebrity status.
The leader of their movement, regardless of the ultimate motive behind his killing, will now be viewed as a martyr for the cause.
Kirk's killing is both another episode of shocking gun violence in America – and the latest in an ever-lengthening line of recent political violence.
It is difficult to divine where American politics goes from here, but the trajectory is bleak. Read more here.
First Lady Melania Trump has also paid tribute to Kirk – who was married with two children.
In a post on X, she said that his "children will be raised with stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father’s voice should have echoed".
Kirk's life should "serve as a symbolic reminder that compassionate awareness elevates family, love, and country".
A moment of silence in the US House of Representatives for Kirk turned into a shouting match between Republicans and Democrats.
Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert had called for a prayer to be read out loud for Kirk, saying "silent prayers get silent results".
Several Democrats then shouted in response "What about the kids in Colarado"? in reference to a high school shooting that took place on the same day.
Watch the moment it happened here:
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Watch: Shouting erupts during moment of silence for Charlie Kirk
A crowd has gathered at the Utah State Capitol for a vigil after Kirk's shooting. Here are images we're getting from the scene.
Two people who were arrested and later released in relation to the shooting death of Charlie Kirk have "no current ties" to the fatal incident, according to Utah authorities.
"This shooting is still an active investigation," Utah's Department of Public Safety – which covers law enforcement in the state – has said in an update.
The incident was a "targeted attack," the department says, with the suspect believed to have fired the fatal shot from the roof of a building to the courtyard where Kirk was addressing a large crowd.
About 3,000 people were at the event which was held in the university quad, an outdoor bowl courtyard.
The university had provided six security officers for the talk, in addition to Kirk's private security detail.
A manhunt for the shooter is still ongoing.
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