Charlie Kirk Assassinated In Utah; Shooter At-Large

(CBS); Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk died Wednesday after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University. He was 31 years old.

A suspect has not been identified, and state authorities said Wednesday evening a "manhunt" for the shooter is still in progress. Two people who were taken into custody earlier were not tied to the shooting and were later released.

Utah Valley University police said they were going "building to building" to evacuate people.

President Trump posted on Truth Social: "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. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

Kirk was participating in an event at the Orem, Utah, school as part of his organization's "The American Comeback Tour" when he was attacked.

The university said in a statement shared to social media that a shot was fired at Kirk shortly after 12 p.m. local time, and he was hit. A single shot was fired, two law enforcement sources told CBS News.

Video of the incident showed Kirk speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor "Prove Me Wrong" debate, where he invites students to challenge his political and cultural views, when the shot rings out.

Elected officials on both sides of the aisle had swiftly condemned the attack on Kirk and denounced acts of political violence.

The FBI said in a Wednesday night statement its Salt Lake City field office "responded immediately" to the shooting that killed Kirk. The agency said it has "full resources devoted to this investigation, including tactical, operational, investigative and intelligence."

The FBI is investigating the shooting along with Utah state authorities.

The Utah college campus where Kirk was shot will remain closed until Monday, the school announced late Wednesday.

Utah Valley University said all events and classes — including remote classes — will be "suspended" through Sunday.

Every living former president has spoken out about Wednesday's shooting.

Former President Bill Clinton said on X he is "saddened and angered by Charlie Kirk's murder."

"And I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully," Clinton wrote.

Former President George W. Bush said in a statement that Kirk was "murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views."

"Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens," Bush wrote.

Hours earlier, former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden offered similar condemnations of the shooting.

Obama wrote on X that "this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy."

And Biden said: "There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now."