Authorities have not arrested a suspect in Kirk's shooting, described as a "targeted attack" in a statement from Utah's Department of Public Safety.

"The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard," it said.

Two men were briefly detained and released after being questioned by law enforcement officials as the manhunt continued.

One man, George Zinn, was charged with obstruction.

Neither man has "current ties to the shooting," authorities said.

Charlie Kirk, the head of the largest conservative youth movement in the United States, which he co-founded in 2012 at the age of 18, was speaking around noon on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Dressed in a white t-shirt with the word "Freedom" across the front, Kirk sat in a chair under a tent as he answered questions from the large audience gathered around him.

The event was the first of about 15 scheduled across the country through the end of October.

Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at the event, told Fox News that Kirk was responding to a question about "transgender shooters, mass shooters, and in the midst of that, the shot rang out."

The 31-year-old collapsed and blood spurted from his neck, according to a video clip shot from a nearby location.

Kirk was then rushed away on a stretcher by his security detail.

"As soon as that shot went out, he fell back," Chaffetz said. "Everybody hit the deck... a lot of people started screaming, and then everybody started running."

Utah Governor Spencer J Cox said he is working with the FBI and Utah law enforcement, and will "bring to justice the individual responsible for this tragedy (Charlie Kirk's assassination)."

"Abby and I are heartbroken. We are praying for Charlie's wife, daughter, and son," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

I just got off the phone with President Trump. Working with the FBI and Utah law enforcement, we will bring to justice the individual responsible for this tragedy.
Abby and I are heartbroken. We are praying for Charlie's wife, daughter, and son. https://t.co/IteWx4OI9o

— Governor Cox (@GovCox) September 10, 2025

Democrat Kamala Harris said she is "deeply disturbed" by the shooting in Utah in which Trump aide Charlie Kirk was shot dead. Ms Harris made it clear that "political violence has no place in America."

"I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence," she added.

I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family.
Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 10, 2025

In a video message from the Oval Office, President Trump has condemned the “demonising” of political opponents in the US even as he claimed the rhetoric of the “radical left” was “directly responsible” for the assassination of Kirk.

"From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others. Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives."

He claimed that the "rhetoric" of the radical left was directly responsible for the terrorism in America, and "it must stop right now."

"My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organisations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump hailed Charlie Kirk, his ally killed by a single shot in a targeted attack at Utah Valley University, as a "martyr for truth" on Wednesday, while assailing the "radical left," suggesting its rhetoric contributed to the death of the conservative activist. He also pledged to carry out a crackdown on "those who perpetrate political violence."

"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 in a video posted on his Truth Social platform.

The President called Kirk's assassination a "heinous" and "dark moment for America."

US right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was part of a constellation of influencers who helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump's agenda, galvanizing conservative youth and rising to international prominence with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on such issues as race, gender and immigration.

Kirk had 5.3 million followers on his X account and drew an audience of more than 500,000 monthly listeners to podcasts of his radio programme, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He also authored or contributed to several books, including "Time for a Turning Point" and "The College Scam."

Amid the Utah horror, Charlie Kirk's recent remarks on Indian migrants, stating "America does not need more visas for people from India", have resurfaced. Kirk said that the US is "full" and it is time the country puts its own people first.

"America does not need more visas for people from India. Perhaps no form of legal immigration has so displaced American workers as those from India. Enough already. We're full. Let's finally put our own people first," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on September 2.

America does not need more visas for people from India. Perhaps no form of legal immigration has so displaced American workers as those from India. Enough already. We’re full. Let’s finally put our own people first. https://t.co/wcOsorvZFE

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 1, 2025

We love you Charlie Kirk. Praying for you. https://t.co/ti1viJjM5L

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) September 10, 2025

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. pic.twitter.com/lYLEjv40bN

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 10, 2025

A person taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has been released, the FBI director said hours after announcing the detention.

The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency https://t.co/YXsG6YpFR5

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025

Calling Charlie Kirk "the Great, and even legendary," US President Donald Trump led the tributes for his close aide, shot dead at Utah University.

"No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by all, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us," he added.

Extending condolences to the family, the President wrote, "Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"
     

Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at a US university on Wednesday, was the eloquent spokesman for a younger generation of Donald Trump's hard-right Republican movement.

The 31-year-old boasted millions of followers on social media who delighted at his whip-smart edits and provocative takedowns of hecklers and ideological challengers.

Kirk's conservative ideology was closely aligned with Trump: he backed the US president's false claims of fraud when he lost the 2020 presidential election and used his heavyweight influence to lash out at migrants and transgender people.

In speaking gigs at American universities, he invited students to debate with him in quick-fire exchanges that often went viral online -- especially those with progressives opposed to his views.

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday at a Utah college event in an act that drew renewed attention to the threat of political violence across the United States.

The suspected shooter has not been arrested, Orem, Utah, Mayor David Young said. A person who was taken into custody by law enforcement at the university where Kirk was speaking was not the suspect, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly.