What we know about fatal shooting of conservative US activist

Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist close to the ally of US President Donald Trump, was killed during an event during an event at a university in Utah.

There are still a lot of things that are not clear on the incident, but here is what we know.

Kirk, 31, had been invited to the University of Utah Valley (UVU) and was seated under a white Gazebo addressing a crowd of around 3,000 people in the quad – an outdoor bowl courtyard.

According to eyewitnesses and videos taken at the scene, he answered a question on armed violence when one shot rang around 12:20, the local time.

Kirk can be seen backwards on his chair, blood on his neck, before the terrified crowd begins to run.

“I heard a strong blow, a strong blow, then I saw his body in fact – idling – in a way falling,” said an eyewitness to the journalists.

“We have all come across the ground, and I mean that we sat like this for about 30 to 45 seconds, then everyone around us got up and started running,” said Emma Pitts, journalist from the news of Deseret who was on the scene.

Kirk was transported urgently to the hospital in a private vehicle – his death was confirmed by Trump a few hours later.

The university campus has been evacuated, while the authorities chase the shooter.

Kirk’s wife and two children were on campus at the time, but were safe. No one else was injured.

The authorities say it was an assassination – but we don’t know who shot Kirk, or why.

Two people were arrested in the hours that followed the incident and then released. They have “no current link” with the deadly incident, said UTAH officials.

“This shooting is still an active investigation,” said the Ministry of Public Security – which covers the police in the state – in its last update.

A great manhunt for the shooter is underway. BBC REGAN MORRIS, who is on campus, said that he had been locked and that the strongly armed police were driving.

The law enforcement officials say that the killer would have shot the mortal shot from the roof of a building near the courtyard where Kirk spoke. They said they were studying the video surveillance of the university and believed that the suspect was “dressed in dark clothes”.

BBC VERIFY examined videos published on social networks, which, according to people, can show a “shooter” on the roof of a university building in the aftermath of the attack.

We have zoomed in on the image, but the quality is too poor to distinguish the illustrated dark form.

Using the characteristics of the building presented, we identified it as the Losee center of UVU – which said a spokesperson for the campus where the shot comes.

The video was published on X after the shooting. We cannot check when it was filmed.

Kirk was one of the most publicized conservative activists and media personalities in the United States and a trusted ally of President Trump. He was invited to his inauguration and regular visitor of the White House.

At the age of 18 in 2012, he co -founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organization which aims to disseminate conservative ideals in American colleges at Liberation.

He became known for organizing outdoor debates on campuses across the country, asking quick questions in a “change-my-mind” style signature-just as he did Wednesday when he was shot.

His social media and his daily podcast often shared clips to debate people on issues such as firearms, climate change, faith and family values.

However, he attracted criticism to promote controversial and sometimes conspiracy beliefs. He has spread anti-transgender opinions and skepticism on the COVVI-19 pandemic, according to CBS, the BBC information partner. He also publicly published the false assertion that the 2020 elections were stolen from Trump.

Kirk is considered by others as a champion of freedom of expression, is recognized for having played a key role in convincing him of young voters to introduce himself to Trump in the elections of last year, and has become valued within the administration for his in -depth understanding of the Basic Magi movement.

There was a wave of sorrow and anger of the whole political spectrum in the United States.

“The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk, died. No one understood or had the hearts of young people in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump said in a press release.

“He was loved and admired by all, especially me,” added the president, ordering that all the flags are half piloted across the country.

All the former American presidents also offered their condolences. Joe Biden, Trump’s predecessor, said that there was “no room in our country for this kind of violence”, while Barack Obama described the shooting a “despicable act” and said that his family prayed for Kirk’s relatives.

Similarly, a series of key managers of the White House expressed their sorrow – including the Secretary of Health RFK JR and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Nancy Pelosi and Gabrielle Giffords, democratic legislators who were both targets of political violence, also published statements condemning the shooting.

“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts these disagreements with violence,” said Giffords, who survived a bullet in the head in 2011.

British Prime Minister Kier Starmer responded in the same way. “We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear,” he said in a statement offering his sympathy.

Italian Prime Minister Girogia Meloni said that “excruciating murder” was “a deep injury to democracy” while Argentinian president Javier Milei paid tribute to Kirk as “a formidable disseminator of the ideas of freedom and defender agitated from the West”.