LIVE: Update on search for Charlie Kirk assassin

OREM, Utah (AP) — Authorities searched connected Thursday for a sniper who assassinated Charlie Kirk, a blimpish activistic and adjacent state of President Donald Trump, with 1 slug and past slipped distant amid the mayhem resulting from the latest enactment of governmental unit to befall America.

Kirk was killed with a gunshot from a distant rooftop astatine the Utah Valley University campus, wherever helium was speaking connected Wednesday, authorities said. Federal, authorities and section authorities were moving what they called “multiple progressive transgression scenes." As the hunt stretched into a 2nd day, they provided small accusation astir the shooter’s identity, motive, determination oregon grounds and were reviewing grainy information videos of a mysterious idiosyncratic successful acheronian clothing.

“This is simply a acheronian time for our state. It’s a tragic time for our nation," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. "I privation to beryllium precise wide this is simply a governmental assassination.”

Two radical were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to beryllium connected to the shooting and some were released, nationalist information officials said.

The circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attraction to an escalating menace of governmental violence in the United States that successful the past respective years has chopped crossed the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a nationalist reckoning implicit ways to forestall governmental grievances from manifesting arsenic deadly unit seemed elusive.

Videos posted to societal media from Utah Valley University amusement Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone portion sitting nether a achromatic structure emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A changeable rings out, and Kirk tin beryllium seen reaching up with his close manus arsenic humor gushes from the near broadside of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and shriek earlier radical commencement moving away.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, were acceptable to sojourn with Kirk’s household connected Thursday successful Salt Lake City. According to a idiosyncratic acquainted with Vance’s plans but not authorized to talk astir them publicly, the Vances volition sojourn Utah alternatively of New York, which had been their planned destination for an outdoor ceremonial to commemorate Sept. 11.

Vance posted a lengthy remembrance connected X chronicling the origins of their friendship, dating backmost to archetypal messages successful 2017, done Vance’s tally for the Senate and yet praying aft proceeding of the shooting. Through the years, Vance wrote, Kirk checked successful and played a pivotal relation successful mounting up the 2nd Trump administration.

“So overmuch of the occurrence we’ve had successful this medication traces straight to Charlie’s quality to signifier and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t conscionable assistance america triumph successful 2024, helium helped america unit the full government.”

Kirk was taking questions astir weapon violence

Kirk was speaking astatine a statement hosted by his nonprofit governmental younker organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, astatine the Sorensen Center courtyard connected campus. Immediately earlier the shooting, helium was taking questions from an assemblage subordinate astir weapon violence.

“Do you cognize however galore transgender Americans person been wide shooters implicit the past 10 years?” the idiosyncratic asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”

The questioner followed up: “Do you cognize however galore wide shooters determination person been successful America implicit the past 10 years?”

“Counting oregon not counting pack violence?” Kirk asked.

Then a changeable rang out.

The shooter, who Cox pledged would beryllium held accountable successful a authorities with the decease penalty, wore acheronian covering and fired from a gathering extortion immoderate region away.

Madison Lattin was watching lone a fewer twelve feet from Kirk’s near erstwhile she heard the slug deed him.

“Blood is falling and dripping down, and you're conscionable similar truthful scared, not conscionable for him but your ain safety," she said.

She said she saw radical driblet to the crushed successful an eerie soundlessness pierced instantly by cries. She ran portion others splashed done decorative pools to get away. Some fell and were trampled successful the stampede.

When Lattin aboriginal learned that Kirk had died, she wept, she said, describing him arsenic a relation exemplary who had showed her however to beryllium determined and combat for the truth.

Trump calls Kirk a ‘martyr for truth’

About 3,000 radical were successful attendance, according to a connection from the Utah Department of Public Safety. The assemblage constabulary section had six officers moving the event, on with Kirk's ain information detail, authorities said.

Trump announced Kirk's decease connected societal media and praised the 31-year-old co-founder and CEO of Turning Point as “Great, and adjacent Legendary.” Later, helium released a recorded video from the White House successful which helium called Kirk a “martyr for information and freedom."

Utah Valley University said the field was instantly evacuated aft the shooting, with officers escorting radical to safety. The field volition beryllium closed until Monday.

Meanwhile, equipped officers walked astir the vicinity bordering the campus, knocking connected doors and asking for immoderate accusation residents mightiness person connected the shooting. Helicopters buzzed overhead.

Wednesday's event, billed arsenic the archetypal halt connected Kirk's “The American Comeback Tour,” had generated a polarizing field reaction. An online petition calling for assemblage administrators to barroom Kirk from appearing received astir 1,000 signatures. The assemblage issued a connection past week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to escaped speech, intelligence inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”

Last week, Kirk posted connected X images of quality clips showing his sojourn was sparking controversy. He wrote, “What’s going connected successful Utah?”

Condemnation from crossed the governmental spectrum

The shooting drew swift bipartisan condemnation as Democratic officials joined Trump, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a statesmanlike proclamation, and different Republican allies of Kirk successful decrying the violence.

“The execution of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, 2 young children, and friends,” said Gabrielle Giffords, the erstwhile Democratic congresswoman who was wounded successful a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.

The shooting appeared poised to go portion of a spike of governmental unit that has touched a scope of ideologies and representatives of some large governmental parties. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota authorities lawmaker and her hubby astatine their location successful June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade in June to request Hamas merchandise hostages and a occurrence acceptable astatine the location of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, successful April. The astir notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a Pennsylvania run rally last year.

Kirk confronted liberals

Turning Point was founded successful suburban Chicago successful 2012 by Kirk, past 18, and William Montgomery, a beverage enactment activist, to proselytize connected assemblage campuses for debased taxes and constricted government. It was not an contiguous success.

But Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals successful academia yet won implicit an influential acceptable of blimpish financiers.

Despite aboriginal misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump aft helium clinched the GOP information successful 2016. Kirk served arsenic an adjutant to Donald Trump Jr. during the wide predetermination campaign.

Soon, Kirk was a regular beingness connected cablegram TV, wherever helium leaned into the civilization wars and heaped praise connected the then-president. Trump and his lad were arsenic effusive and often spoke astatine Turning Point conferences.