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Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday while addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University, prompting a nationwide manhunt for the gunman who authorities say remains at large.
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA who had emerged as a prominent voice in President Donald Trump's political movement, was struck in the neck by a single shot fired from approximately 200 yards away. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The FBI described the incident as a "targeted event" and announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the shooter's capture. Authorities recovered what they identified as the murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle — in a wooded area where the gunman fled after the shooting.
"We're doing everything we can to find him, and we're not sure how far he has gone yet, but we will do our best," FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls said during a Thursday briefing.
The FBI released grainy surveillance photos of a person of interest — described as a man of university age wearing a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with an American flag design. The suspect briefly fled into woodland before escaping the area entirely.
The shooting occurred as Kirk was answering an audience member's question about mass shootings committed by transgender people, according to video message.
The gunman fired from a distance using what investigators believe was a high-caliber round similar to ammunition used in sniper rifles.
Preliminary reports from law enforcement sources indicate that ammunition recovered with the rifle contained engravings with "transgender and anti-fascist ideology," according to a memo obtained by news outlets. The weapon was identified as an imported .30-06-caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle found wrapped in a towel.
Trump, who announced Kirk's death on social media Wednesday before law enforcement officials had done so publicly, used the incident to criticize what he called "radical left" rhetoric.
Speaking at a Sep. 11 memorial event Thursday, the president posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him "a giant of his generation."
"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 address. "This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing."
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, characterized the killing as a "political assassination." The incident has intensified concerns about political violence in a nation already grappling with deep partisan divisions six months into Trump's second presidential term.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to promote conservative viewpoints among young people. He built a massive social media following across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, using his platform to advocate for anti-immigration policies, gun ownership rights and Christian values. His influence was credited with helping mobilize young voters for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
The shooting immediately sparked panic among students at the university. "It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas," said Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student.
Vice President JD Vance canceled a planned trip to New York for September 11 memorial events to travel to Utah and meet with Kirk's family, according to sources familiar with the plans.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that authorities briefly detained a possible suspect Wednesday night but released the individual after questioning.
The investigation continues as U.S. law enforcement agencies coordinate efforts to locate the shooter in what officials describe as one of the most significant cases of political violence in recent memory.
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