The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed that it is working with local and state law enforcement in Utah to investigate the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
FBI special agent in charge Robert Bohls said agents from the Salt Lake City Field Office responded immediately.
“As soon as we heard about the shooting, special agents and personnel responded. We have full resources devoted to this investigation, including tactical, operational, investigative and intelligence,” Bohls said.
“The FBI will fully support and co-lead this investigation alongside our partners.”
The Shooting of Charlie Kirk
Kirk, a far-right activist, commentator, and influential ally of former US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday during a university event in Utah. He was 31 years old.
Videos posted on social media showed Kirk addressing students under a white tent at the Sorensen Center courtyard, decorated with slogans reading The American Comeback and Prove Me Wrong.
Moments later, Kirk appeared to collapse in his chair as panic spread through the audience.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed that police detained a “person of interest” on Wednesday evening. FBI Director Kash Patel later announced that the individual had been released without charges.
Political Reactions
Kirk played a major role in building Trump’s support among young voters, a key factor in Trump’s political resurgence last year.
Trump paid tribute on Truth Social, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
The shooting drew condemnation and tributes across the political spectrum, with leaders from both the right and the left expressing shock and sympathy.
Does Charlie Kirk’s killing show how political divisions in the US are turning more violent?
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