- Charlie Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University during an outdoor event
- A Video emerged on social media showing a man running on college roof moments before Kirk was shot.
- In the second video, he is seen fleeing across the roof
Charlie Kirk, a popular right-wing activist and a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Video of the incident circulating on social media showed the 31-year-old radio host and podcaster addressing a large outdoor crowd when a loud crack, a gunshot, rang out.
Moments later, Kirk was seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushed from the left side of his neck. Loud gasps and screams rang in the air before stunned spectators started to duck and run away.
Authorities say Kirk was killed with a single shot fired from the roof of the school's Losee Centre, a campus building 100-200 yards (roughly 90-180 metres) from the event area.
Videos recorded before and after the shooting showed a man, dressed in dark clothing, moving on the roof of the Losee Centre. Amateur footage recorded just moments before the assassination showed a figure lying near the edge of the roof of the building. Another video taken moments after the shooting captured someone running on the rooftop.
Kirk was reportedly shot some 20 minutes after he started speaking at the event. But incidentally, he was talking about gun violence and mass shootings in America the moment he was shot.
Later, the Utah Department of Public Safety said Kirk was killed in a "targeted attack". But the suspected shooter has not been arrested, according to Utah Mayor David Young.
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 authorised to speak publicly.
So far, authorities have disclosed no motive behind the attack, but the circumstances of the shooting fueled concerns that it was part of a spike of political violence that has cut across the political spectrum.
The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania's governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.
