Last night at their game, Yankees held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk.
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US law enforcement agencies have arrested Tyler Robinson, accusing him of assassinating Trump ally Charlie Kirk Wednesday. In a press briefing led by FBI Director Kash Patel, it was revealed that Robinson was identified in clothes similar to those captured in the CCTV footage found after Kirk’s murder. Officials said that Robinson reached out to a friend confessing to assassinating Charlie Kirk.
Trump gives update: Speaking to Fox News on Friday, US President Donald Trump said the law enforcement had caught the suspect after a day of the shooting and hoped that he would receive the death penalty. He also disclosed that someone close to the suspect had turned him in. Earlier, the FBI released a video of a “possible person of interest” in the Charlie Kirk case. Investigators also recovered the weapon that was used to kill Kirk describing it as a high-powered rifle that was found in a wooded area where the shooter had fled.
Who was Charlie Kirk? Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of Trump, died Wednesday after being shot at a Utah college event. Kirk was giving a presentation when shots were fired, reportedly hitting on his neck. According to his spokesperson, “to the best of our knowledge, he was hit and taken with his security team away from the premises”. He was on his American Comeback Tour, holding a Q&A session from a pop-up tent when the attack occurred.
Last night at their game, Yankees held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk.
Utah governor Spencer Cox said,"We cannot do our job without the public's help right now. The FBI hasn't received this many digital media tips from the public since the Boston Marathon bombing." "
New FBI video shows the alleged suspect running on the roof of a building after the shooting, then hanging from the building and dropping down into the grass.
The gunman then walks casually toward a street at the edge of campus.
Charlie Kirk's casket to be flown from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two. - AP
The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or people responsible in the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
FBI seeks public help in identifying person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Kirk.
Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State warned foreigners who are glorifying Kirk's shooting and hatred are not welcome visitors to the US.
Investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology inside the rifle that authorities believe was used to shoot and kill U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the investigation and an internal law enforcement bulletin. The newspaper reported that the rifle had three unfired rounds in its magazine, all with the engraved wording on them. - Reuters
US President Donald Trump announced he'll posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (AP)
Addressing the press, FBI said that they are working alongside our local and state law enforcement partners in Utah to fully investigate and seek justice in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. They have urged people to come forward with any information, photos, and video from the incident that can help the FBI
Born in 1993 in suburban Chicago, Kirk grew up during the Obama years but rejected the progressive enthusiasm of his generation. He rose with the Tea Party wave and dropped out of Harper College, later making his decision a point of pride. “If you want to stand out, don’t go to college,” he once told rally-goers. “It worked for me.” By his twenties, Kirk had founded Turning Point USA, a student-focused conservative organisation that expanded rapidly. With its provocative campus campaigns and flashy conferences, it provided Trump’s movement with a younger base and an incubator of conservative talent. Trump’s admiration for Kirk ran deep, in part because Kirk was one of the few in the conservative establishment who stood by him after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. That loyalty was rewarded: Kirk became a fixture at the White House, telling the Times he had visited “more than 100 times” during Trump’s first term.
Investigators in Utah have recovered the weapon that was used to kill conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI official Robert Bohls said on Thursday, describing it as a high-powered rifle that was found in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. - Reuters
Utah Department of Public Safety officials said they have been able to track the movements of the shooter, revealing that the individual moved across a roof to reach the shooting location before fleeing into a nearby neighbourhood. Authorities added that they have obtained clear video footage of the suspect and are following every possible lead. “We are exhausting every lead and we will catch this individual,” the department said, assuring the public that the manhunt remains a top priority.
Charlie Kirk, a MAGA firebrand and close Donald Trump ally assassinated in Utah on Wednesday, leaves behind his wife, former beauty queen Erika Frantzve, and their two young kids. Kirk married Erika in 2021. A former Miss Arizona, college basketball player, podcast host, and ministry leader, she brands herself a “multidimensional philanthropist.” Erika works as a real estate agent with The Corcoran Group in New York City and also founded a nonprofit called Everyday Heroes Like You, aimed at community empowerment. On her website, she describes herself as a “social entrepreneur, passionate ministry leader, and woman of deep faith whose life has been shaped by her global experiences and unwavering commitment to purpose.” The Turning Point USA founder was shot dead while delivering a speech at Utah Valley University during his American comeback tour, when a gunman opened fire. Kirk was rushed off stage by security and pronounced dead shortly after.
The attack on Kirk comes amid a surge of politically motivated violence across the US. According to Reuters data, the country is experiencing its most sustained wave of such violence since the 1970s, with more than 300 incidents recorded since the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. In the first half of 2025 alone, there were about 150 politically linked attacks — nearly double last year’s pace.
Reactions poured in from across the political spectrum. Former president Barack Obama condemned political violence as “despicable,” while President Joe Biden insisted there was “no place in our country for this kind of violence.” Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, added: “Political violence of any kind and against any individual is unacceptable and completely incompatible with American values.”
The White House described Kirk as one of the most influential figures in the conservative youth movement, crediting him with mobilising support that helped Trump secure reelection. With his strong social media presence, podcasting platform, and Turning Point events, Kirk cultivated a devoted following while amplifying Trump’s agenda and engaging in culture-war debates over immigration, race, and gender. Wednesday’s Utah event had been billed as the opening of his “American Comeback Tour.”
President Trump, speaking in a video address from the Oval Office, vowed retribution. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organisations that fund it and support it,” he declared. The President ordered flags lowered to half-mast through Sunday. He blamed “radical left political violence” for Kirk’s death, saying: “Violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonising those you disagree with … For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.”
In a statement, Utah governor Spencer Cox called the killing a “political assassination,” even as the shooter’s motive remained unclear. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” Cox said, urging an end to political violence. Faculty members at UVU echoed his call. “We won’t minimise actions like this around the world, ever,” said professor Greg Cronin. “But we can minimise the impact that they are allowed to have.”
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was struck while addressing an audience of about 3,000 people. Video clips circulating online showed Kirk being questioned about gun violence moments before the sound of gunfire sent students running for safety. He was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. “Charlie Kirk was a major role model and hero for me,” said 19-year-old attendee Ammon Paxton, who claimed he was standing directly in front of Kirk when he collapsed, The Guardian reported.
Authorities in the United States are still searching on Thursday for the suspect who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an appearance at Utah Valley University, in what officials described as a “targeted attack.”
The Utah department of public safety said the case remained an “active investigation,” with support from the FBI and local police. Two suspects were initially detained but later released.
Authorities searched on Thursday for a sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, with one bullet and then slipped away amid the mayhem resulting from the latest act of political violence to befall America. Kirk was killed with a gunshot from a distant rooftop at the Utah Valley University campus, where he was speaking on Wednesday. As the search stretched into a second day, they provided little information about the shooter’s identity, motive, location or evidence and were reviewing grainy security videos of a mysterious person in dark clothing.“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. "I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.” Two people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said. The circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum. - PTI
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of Trump, died Wednesday after being shot at a Utah college event. Kirk was giving a presentation when shots were fired, reportedly hitting on his neck.
In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing U.S. political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a “globalist menace” in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia. Kirk helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda to young voters with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on issues such as gender and immigration.
In Seoul on Friday, he spoke about how he “brought Trump to victory”, while addressing Build Up Korea 2025, a conservative conference that has previously featured speakers including Donald Trump Jr.
Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis has chimed in with his opinion and questioned the law of Americans to have guns after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. “RIP Charlie Kirk. I’ll never understand America and why everyone can just have a gun,” Du Plessis wrote on X.
The founder of Turning Point USA, Kirk’s death has jolted the US political scene. More than just a right-wing influencer, he was known for liberal campuses’ “Prove me wrong” debates on abortion, transgender rights, and race theory.
“When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group,” says Charlie Kirk in a video clip, one of many showing up on our social media feeds today. It seems profoundly poignant now. The most brutal, frightening clips of his murder are also beginning to appear. One moment, he is about to speak. The next, instead of a word, instead of what probably began as a pause, a moment of silence to listen to his interlocutor’s response, is his fall. Then, a split-second later, the cracking sound of the gun.
Police and federal agents launched a manhunt on Thursday for the sniper who fired the single shot that killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk as he answered a question on gun violence during a university event. Kirk, 31, a podcast-radio commentator and close ally of Donald Trump, was credited with helping build the Republican president’s base among younger voters. He was gunned down on Wednesday in what Utah Governor Spencer Cox called a political assassination.
The shooting happened before 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City. Video showed blood gushing from Kirk’s neck as he slumped in his chair. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. His killing prompted condemnation of political violence from both Republicans and Democrats. “This is a horrible accident,” Cox said, calling Kirk’s appearances on campuses part of a tradition of debate “foundational to the formation of our country, to our most basic constitutional rights.” He warned: “When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened.”
Authorities believe the gunman fired from a rooftop sniper’s nest on the Utah campus. The suspect, dressed in dark clothing, remains at large, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said. By Wednesday night, police confirmed they had no suspects in custody. State police said two men were detained earlier, but both were released. “There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,” officials said. One of the men detained, an older political “gadfly,” was charged with obstruction by university police, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The other was initially described as a “person of interest” but later cleared.
Police said they were investigating “multiple active crime scenes” linked to where Kirk was shot and other locations he and the suspect had travelled. Kirk, who had just returned from a speaking tour in South Korea and Japan, was launching a 15-event “American Comeback Tour” of U.S. campuses. Known for provocative views on race, gender, immigration and firearms, he often invited audiences to debate him. At the moment he was shot, Kirk was answering a question about gun violence.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Officials investigating the fatal shooting on Wednesday of conservative activist Charlie Kirk gave conflicting accounts as to whether the suspected shooter was in custody, with FBI Director Kash Patel saying a subject was in custody and local police officials saying the shooter was at large.
Patel said on X that "the subject" was in custody. Shortly after that, Beau Mason, the head of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said the suspect was still at large. “While the suspect is at large we believe this was a targeted attack,” he said.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said a "person of interest" was in custody.
(Reuters)
They were careful with explicit imagery, as usual. But did it make any difference?
Traditional news outlets avoided showing the moment Charlie Kirk was shot on Wednesday, instead airing video of him tossing a hat to the crowd beforehand or panicked onlookers fleeing afterwards. In practice, it mattered little. Graphic footage spread almost instantly online, from multiple angles, in real time and slow motion. Millions watched on X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube — and even Truth Social, where Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death.
Kirk was shot at a Utah college event before hundreds of people, many holding up phones. Clips showed the exact moment of the shooting: one looped in slow motion, another caught the audio of Kirk apparently speaking about gun violence as he was struck. For more than 150 years, legacy outlets have acted as “gatekeepers” of violent content. But in the age of smartphones and instant uploads, their editorial restraint has far less impact.
In Ithaca, New York, college professor Sarah Kreps’ teenage sons texted her about the killing after school. She told them Kirk had been shot but there were no reports of his death. Her son replied: “Have you seen the video? There’s no way he could have survived that.” Clips spread at lightning speed. Some users pleaded for restraint. “For the love of God and Charlie’s family,” read one post, “just stop.” Others reposted the footage while urging “stop the violence.”
YouTube said it was removing “some graphic content” without context and restricting others for users under 18. “Our hearts are with Charlie Kirk's family following his tragic death,” it said. Meta applied warning labels but did not block such posts, referring to its policies on violent content. An X spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
The issue is not new. Facebook faced backlash in 2019 when people attempted to livestream a mass shooting in New Zealand, Kreps noted. Some images seeped into mainstream media. TMZ posted a video of Kirk with his upper body blurred. The New York Post did the same. Editors say restraint still matters. Viewers may choose to click on disturbing images online, but stumbling across them without warning is different. “The traditional media can amplify and validate behavior,” Kreps said. “It can be a signal for how things should be stigmatised, rather than validated or normalised.”
(With inputs from AP)
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