US right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, an influential ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday at an event at a Utah university in what the governor described as a political assassination.

One person was taken into custody, but was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.

"Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X.

Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the shooter remained "at large."

"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," Trump wrote on social media.

Cellphone video clips of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk, 31, addressing a large outdoor crowd at the school's campus in Orem, Utah when a gunshot rang out. Kirk moved his hand toward his neck as he fell off his chair, sending the attendees running.

In another clip, blood can be seen gushing from Kirk's neck immediately after the shot. Reuters has not confirmed the authenticity of the videos.

The shooting was the latest in a series of attacks on US political figures, including two assassination attempts of Trump last year, that have underscored a sharp rise in political violence.

"This is a dark day for our state, it's a tragic day for our nation," Governor Spencer Cox said at the press conference. "I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination."

Kirk's appearance on Wednesday was the first in a planned 15-event "American Comeback Tour" at universities around the country. He often used such events, which typically drew large crowds of students, to invite attendees to debate him live.

Seconds before he was shot, Kirk was being questioned by an audience member about gun violence, according to multiple videos of the event posted online.

"Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?" Kirk was asked.

He responded, "Counting or not counting gang violence?" He was shot moments later.

Police have not yet publicly released any details about a possible suspect.

Kirk and the group he co-founded, Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organisation in the country, played a key role in driving young voter support for Trump in November.

After winning his second presidential term, Trump credited Kirk for mobilising younger voters and voters of color in support of his campaign.

"You had Turning Point's grassroots armies," Trump said at a rally in Phoenix in December. "It's not my victory, it's your victory."

Kirk had 5.3 million followers on X and hosted a popular podcast and radio program, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He had also recently co-hosted "Fox & Friends" on Fox News.

He was part of an ecosystem of pro-Trump conservative influencers – including Jack Posobiec, Laura Loomer, Candace Owens and others – who helped to amplify the president's agenda.

Kirk frequently attacked mainstream media and engaged in culture war issues around race, gender and immigration, often in a provocative style.

RTHK's Washington correspondent, Simon Marks, described Kirk's death as a "seismic moment" for Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

"He's an absolute rock star of Donald Trump's MAGA movement... Various people here have said over the last few hours that Charlie Kirk was one of the top five most influential figures in building that MAGA movement," he told Hong Kong Today.

"He was a very powerful and influential voice in the president's ear, reflecting his own views and those of his hundreds of thousands of Turning Point USA members... on university campuses all over the country that really fueled Donald Trump to prominence."

At the White House, staff members, many of them young and admirers of Charlie Kirk, were ashen-faced as news of the shooting spread.

Trump said on social media he had ordered all US flags flown at half-staff until Sunday in Kirk's honour.

Both Republican and Democratic politicians expressed dismay over the shooting.

"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord," Vice President JD Vance, who was close to Kirk, wrote on X.

"The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible," Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X, before Kirk's death had been confirmed.

"In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form." (Reuters/RTHK)
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Last updated: 2025-09-11 HKT 08:37