Pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk shot dead at US university event
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More news: Former prime minister Tony Abbott has described Charlie Kirk’s assassination as “shocking”, as Utah officials confirm a “person of interest” is in custody.
FBI director Kash Patel had earlier caused confusion by posting that the “subject” of the shooting had been apprehended, before later revealing that the person who “took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody”.
Utah officials have confirmed a “person of interest” had been apprehended, but declined to add further information. Governor Spencer Cox said there was no information currently suggesting a second person was involved.
On X, Abbott said he was “mourning” Kirk’s death and his prayers were with his wife and children.
On the same platform, British opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said there were “no words good enough to express the horror of this”. Badenoch described Kirk’s slaying as a “blow to everything Western civilisation stands for”.
US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr described Kirk as a “dear friend”, writing that “once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era”. The comments were an apparent reference to the assassination of Kennedy’s uncle, President John F Kennedy.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who hosted Kirk on his podcast last year, lashed the shooting as "disgusting, vile and reprehensible" and called for Americans to reject political violence in every form.
Newsom joined a host of Democratic luminaries, including former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in condemning the killing.
A moment of silence was observed on the floor of the US House of Representatives.
What they said: “I’m mourning the shocking death of Charlie Kirk. He championed the pursuit of open debate and intellectual freedom in places of education, and did so with great courage. My prayers are for his wife and children at this dire time,” Abbott said on X.
Pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk shot dead at US university event
The news: Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing activist and close ally of US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an outdoor campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday local time.
What they said: Political leaders from both parties condemned the shooting and called for prayers.
In a social media post, Trump said: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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,” the president said.
“Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
The numbers: The shooting occurred about 20 minutes after Kirk began speaking to a crowd of more than 1,000 people during the first stop of his 15-campus American Comeback Tour, according to media reports citing university officials.
A university spokeswoman said the suspect fired from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away. Initial reports that someone was in custody were later corrected by university officials, who said no suspect has been arrested.
Phone footage showed Kirk recoiling as blood poured from his neck, moments after he responded to a question about mass shootings.
The FBI, Orem Police, Utah Valley University Police and the Utah Department of Public Safety are investigating. The campus was closed and classes cancelled.
