31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot during an outdoor debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, in a targeted assassination.
Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters.
The gunman fired from a nearby rooftop, leading to immediate campus evacuation and an FBI-led investigation, with a suspect now in custody.
President Donald Trump condemned the attack, blaming radical rhetoric and ordering U.S. flags lowered.
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.” He declared
Authorities did not immediately identify a motive but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”
A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck.
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”
The questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked.
Then a single shot rang out. The shooter, who Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away to the courtyard where the event took place.
Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated and remained closed. Classes were canceled until further notice.
The 31-year-old Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA.