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Kirk’s death highlights a history of political violence in the U.S.
The assassination of Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, has raised alarms about the scourge of political violence in the United States, escalating anxieties about the safety of public figures on both sides of the ideological spectrum.
Kirk’s killing was the latest in a series of attacks and threats targeting a range of American political figures, from President Donald Trump and members of Congress to governors and judges. Kirk was not an elected official, though he wielded influence as the founder of conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA and was a close ally of the Trump administration.
“I was not, in any way, surprised” by Kirk’s killing, said Michael Jensen, a researcher at the University of Maryland who tracks such violence in a domestic terrorism database. Jensen said he has seen an increase in attacks targeting what he characterizes as “government entities” — legislators and candidates, as well as officers carrying out immigration enforcement actions.
“You cannot simply say it’s coming from the left, it’s coming from the right [or] it’s coming from the fringe. It’s coming from everywhere,” Jensen said.
Donald Trump Jr. remembers Charlie Kirk as 'most important player' in last election
Donald Trump Jr. called into "The Megyn Kelly Show" today and remembered Kirk as “the single-handedly most important player of the last election” outside Donald Trump himself.
“He was just willing to say those things that were verboten for so many people for so long. He made it OK for them,” Trump said. “So for my father, he meant a lot.”
He said the news of Kirk’s death left him “in shock.”
“We got a report that, hey, he’s getting blood. It may be stable. Then 20 minutes later, we got the news that he didn’t make it,” Trump recalled. “It was a really rough day for someone who’s been a very close friend, confidant, incredible warrior for the things that we all believe in for a very long period of time. So it’s been hard.”
Universities hosting Kirk expected crowds and protesters. At Utah Valley, a shooter arrived.
For years, Kirk’s appearances at college campuses were major events — drawing thousands of students and attracting protesters, often staged to maximize his interaction with the crowds of young conservatives he inspired.
And each event came with unique security risks, which campuses around the country handled case by case, according to interviews with Kirk’s former security chief and organizers at several colleges who spoke to NBC News.
Kirk’s assassination yesterday is raising questions about whether more should have been done at Utah Valley University, in Orem, where roughly 3,000 people came to hear the conservative activist speak.
People said they were able to walk in without passing any sort of security checkpoint, even though scannable tickets were required.
Shot that killed Kirk wouldn't have required an expert marksman, former ATF agents say
It was a lone shot, fired from a distance of nearly two football fields, that struck its target in the neck.
But Kirk's killing would not have required an expert marksman, according to multiple firearms experts. They said the weaponry available today would allow someone with even limited firearms experience to pull off such a hit, making such tragedies exceedingly difficult to prevent.
“A person with minimal training and a scope would be able to easily hit a small target at 200 yards,” said Scott Sweetow, a retired executive with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Trained police and military snipers are able to hit targets in the head from distances of more than 500 yards, Sweetow and other experts said.
Patel toured UVU crime scene
FBI Director Kash Patel toured the Utah Valley University crime scene earlier today. He was at this evening’s news conference but did not speak. The officials present also did not take any reporters' questions.
Utah officials to seek death penalty in Kirk shooting
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said officials have been working with attorneys to pursue the death penalty in the case.
"We pray that God will bless our nation at this very dark time, we can start healing by finding this perpetrator and holding him accountable. And we need your help to do that," Cox said.
More than 7,000 tips provided to FBI, Utah governor says
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said more than 7,000 tips have been provided to the FBI in the manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s killer.
The agency has not seen a number that large since the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Cox said.
Officials release new video showing possible gunman fleeing
Officials shared new video during tonight's news conference showing the person who fled in the moments after the shooting.
The short clip, time-stamped at 12:23 p.m. yesterday, showed the person running on top of the roof of a campus building, clambering down and fleeing.
Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the person left a palm impression as he climbed down the edge of the roof to the building, as well as a shoe imprint when he landed on the grass below. He was believed to be wearing Converse tennis shoes.
After having dismounted, the person crossed the street and moved into a wooded area.
Earlier today, Utah law enforcement released new still photographs of the person, seen wearing a black shirt with an American flag and an eagle on it, a hat and sunglasses. The person was wearing a black backpack.
Officials are asking for the public to come forward with any information on the shooter's identification.
FBI Director Patel, Utah officials hold news conference
FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, as well as other authorities, will hold a news conference imminently.
Without Kirk, there might not be a VP Vance
The prominent conservative activist was integral in Vance’s rise in national politics from the earliest days.
Publicly, Kirk heralded Vance as a worthy Republican prospect — even when others in a party dominated by Trump had suspicions about Vance’s Trump-skeptical past.
And, behind the scenes, Kirk was a matchmaker, connecting Vance with others who would be invaluable in helping him navigate a course from MAGA movement outsider to insider.
So when news of Kirk’s death landed yesterday afternoon, it landed particularly hard on Vance.
