What do we know about the fatal firing of a conservative American activist

Charlie Kirk, an influential right activist and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was Shot while talking at an event at University of Utah.

Here’s what we know.

The 31 -year -old Kirk spoke at the University of Utah Valley in Orem on September 10, 2025 as part of his American Return.

He was sitting under a white gazebo to take questions from a crowd of about 3,000 in Quad at the university, an outdoor yard.

Around 12:20 he was asked by a member of the crowd: “Do you know how many transsexual Americans have been mass shooters in the last 10 years?”

He replies: “Too much.”

Then the questionnaire states that there were five for 10 years and asks Kirk how many mass shootings there was during this time.

“Counting or not counting a gang violence?” Kirk replies.

Then a shot is heard, which is thought to have been fired from the roof of the center of the lost, a building overlooking the four.

Kirk then descends into his chair with a clearly visible neck wound. He bleeds thoroughly as his employees take him out of the stage.

Then the crowds around the tent start to run and screams can be heard.

So far no one has been caught.

On Thursday, Salt Lake City’s office of the FBI released two pictures of “Face of Interest” and asked for help to identify it.

At a press conference hours earlier, FBI Special Agent Robert Bols said a powerful bolt rifle had been found in a wooded area.

Imported Mauser .30-06 Bolt Action Rifle, it was found wrapped in a towel.

The “shoe impression”, prints of print and forearm were also found.

Beau Mason, Commissioner for Public Safety on Utah, said the artilleryman seemed to be at the College and was well combined with other students.

They said the “good video footage” shows that a suspect is jumping from the roof after firing and running away from the campus.

This seems to be supported by videos posted in public domain.

The BBC Cerify has considered one that is thought to show a figure on the roof of a university building.

It is difficult to determine the dark shape depicted in it. However, the building can be identified as a loss center – approximately 130 m (142 yards) from where Kirk was sitting.

Shots made from an office behind Kirk’s gazebo seem to show that someone running through the roof of the loss center after firing.

In the classes, witnesses then described what they saw.

“I heard a strong shot, a strong blow, and then I saw his body actually – in a slow movement – a kind of fall,” said a witness.

“We all fell to the ground and I want to say that we were sitting like that in about 30 to 45 seconds, and then everyone around us got up and started running,” said Emma Pitts, a Desert News reporter.

Kirk was one of the most profitable right-wing activists and media figures in the United States. He was Trump’s trusted ally, attended his inauguration and regularly visited the White House.

As an 18-year-old in 2012, he co-founded the Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organization aimed at distributing conservative ideals to American colleges with liberal American.

He became known for being outdoor debates on campuses across the country, asking quick questions in signature “Prove me wrong.”

His broadcast on social media and daily podcast offer a momentary photo of what he often discusses – problems varied from the rights of weapons and climate change, to faith and family values.

Kirk had many critics who saw him as a separation figure that encouraged the controversial and sometimes conspiracy beliefs such as the false claim that the 2020 elections were stolen by Trump.

But he also had his fans. They lend him to play a key role in convincing the younger voters to find themselves in the election last year.

He was appreciated in the Trump administration for his avid understanding of Maga’s movement.

There was shock, grief and anger throughout the political spectrum.

“The great and even legendary Charlie Kirk is dead. No one has understood or has not had the heart of young people in the United States better than Charlie,” Trump says in a statement about Truth Social.

“He was loved and delighted with everyone, especially me,” the president added, ordering all the flags to be half a mast across the country.

Former US presidents have offered their condolences. Joe Biden said that “there is no place in our country for this kind of violence” while Barack Obama called the shooting “contemptible act.”

But death also stripped deep polarizations in American politics.

Conservative commentators pointed out tasteless comments from left -wing activists who appear to celebrate or justify Kirk’s death.

At the same time, some of Trump’s allies – including Laura Lomer and Elon Musk – pressed the blame on the left or the Democratic Party and called for mass arrests.

This spilled into the congress, where the shout exploded after a moment of silence for Kirk. Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican and Trump ally, accused Democrats of spreading hateful rhetoric.

The United States has survived about 150 politically motivated attacks in the first six months of this year.

It’s almost twice as much as the same period last year, an expert told the Reuters Agency.

Mike Jenson – from the University of Maryland, who has been tracing political violence for more than 50 years in a database – said the United States is in “a very, very dangerous place right now.”

“This could serve absolutely as a kind of flash that inspires more than her.”

Kirk’s murder is the latest in a string of high-profile Attacks against political leaders in the United States, including two Trump murders attempts during his election campaign in 2024.

The president received an ear injury when trying to kill a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last July.

In June, the best democratic legislator of Minnesota and her husband were killed at their home.

In 2022, the husband of the then speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was misled by a hammer after a man invaded the couple’s home, looking for the highest-ranking Democrat with the intention of taking a hostage.

Former US Representative Gabby Gifords – survived that he was shot in the head during a meeting with voters in 2011 – also condemned the attack.

“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we should never allow America to become a country to face these disagreements with violence.”

Correction: A larger version of this story is said that Kirk’s wife and children attend the event. In fact, this is not clear.