The manhunt for the shooter who killed Charlie Kirk is ongoing. The conservative political activist was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, by an individual who is believed to have fired one shot from a nearby roof in what has been labeled a โtargeted attack.โ
Two suspects were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, but later released. Now, a chilling video is spreading online that shows a person running on a nearby rooftop.
The killing ofย Charlie Kirkย has shocked the US and much of the world beyond. The 31-year-old conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point America was holding an event at Utah Valley University when he was suddenly shot.
Graphic videos show Kirk slumped in his chair, bleeding heavily. Per the stateโs public safety commissioner, Beau Mason, Kirk was taken โby private vehicleโ to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he died. Two individuals were arrested at the scene, but were later released. A manhunt for the shooter is underway.
โThere is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter,โ the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement on Wednesday night. They added that they believed it was a โtargeted attack.โ
โThe shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard.โ
Charlie Kirk dead
People on the scene began running as soon as they realized what had happened.
โItโs a little surreal. Especially then. It felt like a dream,โ a first-year student named Gavin told CBS News, per theย BBC. โEveryone started prayingโฆ Then, we started running.โ
Deseret News reporters Emma Pitts and Eva Terry were also at the event and witnessed the attack.
โIโll never get the image out of my head,โ Pitts said. โIt looked like a fountain of blood came out of his neck. His body went limp and then his eyes closed.โ
According to Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullins, Charlie Kirkโs wife, Erika Frantzve Kirk, and their two young children were at the event. In a video post on social media, Donald Trump described the attack as a โdark day for America.โ
The president said he was โfilled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirkโ.
โCharlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America,โ Trump continued.
โHe fought for liberty, democracy, justice, and the American people. Heโs a martyr for truth and freedom, and thereโs never been anyone who was so respected by youth.โ
Chilling video shows figure running on rooftop after Charlie Kirk shooting
The president said Kirk was a man of โdeep, deep faith,โ adding, โwe take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven.โ
Trump concluded: โOur prayers are with his wife, Erika, their two young beloved children, and his entire family, who he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache and pain.โ
With the manhunt for the perpetrator still ongoing, a chilling video has spread online. Tanner Maxwell, who stood behind the tent Charlie Kirk sat in, shot video footage to show his friends. As he pulled out his phone to start filming, a gunshot was heard.
The video shows people running and dropping to the floor.
โIt was scary,โ Maxwell toldย The New York Times.
When he got home and reviewed the footage, Maxwell noticed a figure running on a rooftop in the distance. Itโs the same building that, as per the NY Times, a spokesperson from the university said the shot that killed Charlie Kirk came from.
A second video, analysed by the Times, shows what appears to be a person lying on the same roof top before the shooting. At this time, itโs unclear whether it depicts the person or not. The head of Utahโs Department of Public Safety, Beau Mason, said the shot that killed Kirk was โa longer distance shot, from a roof.โ
Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.
