A manhunt was launched Thursday after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot to death at a university in Utah, raising concerns about rising political violence in the United States.
After Kirk’s shooting, President Donald Trump lashed out at the “radical left” and threatened to crack down on those guilty for what he termed as “a dark moment for America.”
“For years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” a somber-looking Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office just hours after Kirk’s death.
“This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.”
Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Footage from the scene showed him addressing a large crowd when the sound of a single shot rang out.
The 31-year-old father-of-two appeared to collapse in his chair before the camera swiftly moved and sounds of panic erupted in the audience.
The Utah Department of Public Safety stated that the shooter, dressed in dark clothing, fired from a nearby rooftop in what authorities called a “targeted attack.”
Students at the university described the shooting as “crazy” and “scary.”
“It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas,” said Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student, to AFP.
“If I were someone considering going into politics, I’d be afraid to get shot.”
Despite door-to-door searches by federal, state, and local officials, the shooter remained at large.
Orem Mayor David Young said various law enforcement agencies were investigating, but the perpetrator had not yet been captured.
The FBI set up a digital line for the public to share tips.
There was initial uncertainty about the manhunt, with FBI Director Kash Patel announcing on social networking platform X that the “subject” had been apprehended before retracting his statement an hour later.
