Topline
A “subject” detained in connection with the deadly shooting of conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has been released from custody, FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday night, adding the “investigation continues.”
Patel, who said a “subject for the horrific shooting” was in custody as of 6:21 p.m. EDT, provided an update in a 7:59 p.m. EDT tweet saying the person “has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement.”
“We have a person of interest in custody, the investigation is ongoing,” Cox said at a press conference on Wednesday night, after Patel said in a statement on social media hours after the shooting a “subject” was taken into custody.
Cox said authorities could not provide any further details about the person of interest.
“The only information we have on the possible shooter is taken from closed-circuit TV here on campus,” Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason later added.
“It is security camera footage, so you can guess what the quality of that is, Mason noted, saying the suspected shooter was “dressed in all dark clothing, but we don’t have much better description other than that.”
Cox said he does not believe there is another person involved in the shooting.
Authorities previously took another person into custody, Mason said, “but he was released from custody after we identified that he did not match the shooting suspect—he was not an accurate person of interest,” though he was booked for obstruction of justice
In a post on X, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he spoke with Trump about the shooting and vowed to “bring to justice the individual responsible for this tragedy.”
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Kirk, also confirmed his death to The New York Times.
“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,” Trump posted after the shooting Wednesday, later noting he ordered American flags to be flown at half-mast until Sunday at 6 p.m.
Utah Valley University confirmed on social media the shooting took place around 12:10 p.m. MDT.
Kirk was “hit and taken from the location by his security,” UVU said after the shooting.
UVU closed its campus and canceled classes after the shooting, instructing students to “leave campus immediately” and “follow police instructions.”
The shooter fired from a campus building about 200 yards away, a spokesperson for the university confirmed to CNN.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a bullet strike Kirk in the neck while speaking before a crowd, while others show people rushing out of a courtyard.
Patel said the FBI was “closely monitoring” the situation and that agents would “be on the scene quickly” to support the response.
Kirk was speaking at an event for his “American Comeback Tour,” and his organization was scheduled to host a “Prove Me Wrong Table” session at the Orem, Utah, campus on Wednesday at 12 p.m. MDT (2 p.m. EDT).
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
“This is a political assassination,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference. “Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a husband and a dad to two young children. He was also very much politically involved, and that’s why he was here on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and persuade people.”
Trump said in an earlier post, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” Vice President JD Vance echoed the president’s call for prayers, calling Kirk a “Genuinely good guy and a young father.” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said, “My heart goes out to Charlie, those in attendance, and their families.” Gov. Spencer J. Cox, R-Utah, emphasized “violence has no place in our public life,” adding those responsible for the shooting will be held “fully accountable.” The governor also called for Americans “of every political persuasion” to “unite in condemning this act.” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., wished Kirk a full recovery and said, “It does not matter which side you are on. There is simply no place for political violence in this country.” Tesla chief and former special government employee Elon Musk initially reacted to the shooting with a tweet saying “The Left is the party of murder.” The billionaire said in a follow-up post he hoped “Charlie makes it somehow.” The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform called for prayers and held a moment of silence for Kirk during a meeting.
Kirk, 31, is a right-wing political activist and co-founder of the Turning Point USA nonprofit that promotes far-right policies and politics on high school and college campuses. He founded the organization at the age of 18 in 2012 along with Illinois businessman William Montgomery, who died in 2020. Kirk, a prominent voice in culture wars on college campuses, hosts a daily radio show and podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, which ranks among the top 10 on Apple News’ list of top podcasts and has a strong Gen Z fan base. Turning Point USA runs the Professor Watchlist website to “expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom,” the website says. Turning Point USA formed a political action committee, Turning Point Action, in 2019 to back Republican candidates. Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have spoken at multiple Turning Point conferences and Kirk spoke at both the 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions. The PAC launched a $100 million voter outreach campaign in key swing states last year to target young Trump voters.
Kirk was participating in a “Prove Me Wrong” event, which he advertised on social media as an opportunity for liberals to ask him questions. He has done these on college campuses in the past, and most feature debates with audience members who line up to challenge him on hot button issues, often recorded for videos posted on his YouTube page. Moments before the shooting, an audience member asked him how many recent mass shootings were conducted by transgender shooters. “Too many,” Kirk said, according to video recordings of the incident. The audience member then followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?”. “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked in response. The shooting took place before the debate could go any further.