An influential far -right activist and close ally of their president was killed by a bullet during an event at a Utah University. He was just 31 years old.
Many remain unclear around the incident, but here’s what we know so far.
What happened?
Kerk was invited to Utah Valley University (UVU) and was under a white gazebo speaking to a host of about 3,000 people in the university outdoor area. According to eyewitnesses and videos from the scene, he answered a question about violence with weapons when, around 12:20 local time, a shot was heard.
Kerk seems to be shaken in his chair, with blood on his throat, before the terrified crowd begins to run panicked.
WATCH 🔴🔴
Charlie Kirk has been SHOT
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613)
“I heard a loud click, and then I saw his body stuck,” an eyewitness said. We all bent on the ground for about 30 to 45 seconds, and then those around us got up and started running, “said journalist Emma Pitch, who was on the spot.
Kerk was rushed to a private vehicle hospital. .
The campus was evacuated while authorities are looking for the perpetrator.
The wife and the two Kerk children were at the university at that time, but they are bodies. No one else was injured.
Who is the suspect?
Authorities are talking about political murder, but neither the identity nor the motives of the perpetrator are known. Two people were arrested a few hours after the incident, but were released as, according to Juta authorities, “have nothing to do with the attack”.
“The case remains open,” the State Ministry of Public Security said in its latest information.
A large manhunt is in progress. The campus has been ruled out and strong police forces are investigating door-to-door. According to authorities, the killer shot from the roof of a building near the scene of the speech. Videos are being examined by university cameras, while the suspect is believed to be wearing “dark clothes”.
Who was Charlie Kerk?
Kerk was one of the most recognizable conservative voices in the US and Trump’s close ally. He had attended his swearing -in and often visited the White House. In 2012, at the age of 18, he co -founded the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) organization with the aim of spreading conservative ideas to liberal American universities.
He became known for his open discussions in campuses, where he answered questions in “Change-Mind” style questions, just as he did when he was murdered. In social networks and in his daily Podcast he has put forward excerpts from his controversy over issues such as gun ownership, climate change, faith and family values.
It has, however, been strongly criticized for extreme and conspiracy: Anti-Trans rhetoric, challenging the Covid-19 pandemic, and a dispersion of false theory that the 2020 elections were “stolen” by Trump.
For others, however, he was considered a champion of freedom of speech, with a decisive role in mobilizing young voters in favor of Trump and a deep understanding of the Maga movement on the basis of the Republican Party.
How does the world react?
The murder caused a wave of sadness and anger throughout the US political spectrum.
Catholics in Phoenix gathered at Desert Horizon Park in Scotches to pray for Charlie Kerk, who was shot and killed in Utah
“The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kerk, is dead. No one understood America’s youth better than him, “Trump told Truth Social. “Everyone loved him, especially me,” he added, ordering the pride of flags throughout the country.
All former US presidents expressed their condolences. Joe Biden spoke of “violence that has no place in our country”, while Barack Obama described the attack as “disgusting act” and said he was praying for the Kerk family.
Condolences were also expressed by leading White House officials, such as Health Minister Robert Kennedy Junior and Foreign Minister Marko Rubio.
Nancy Pelosi and Gabriel Giffords – who survived a murderous attack in 2011 – also condemned the fact. Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we should never be allowed to be resolved by violence, “Giffords said.
There have been reactions outside the US: British Prime Minister Kir Starmer said: “We should all be able to discuss freely and openly, without fear.” Italian Prime Minister Georgia Melloni described the murder as “horrible crime and deep wound for democracy”. Argentine President Javier Miley called him “an excellent distributor of the ideas of freedom and a steadfast defender of the West”.
