Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Donald Trump announced on social media.
The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead, the president wrote on Truth Social. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.
Kirk, a fervent supporter of Trump, was the founder of Turning Point USA, a group that seeks to spread conservative ideas to students on US campuses.
Officials say he had just begun speaking when a single gunshot rang out. Videos verified by BBC show him jolting backwards in his chair as students scatter in panic.
A spokeswoman for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treanor, said the gunfire came from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.
Another spokesman, Scott Trotter, told the BBC: A single shot rang out in the quad near the food court on the Utah Valley University Orem Campus as Mr. Charlie Kirk began speaking at his planned rally.
BBC Verify has confirmed the authenticity of several videos of the shooting which have been posted online.
One video shows students crowded around a white tent emblazoned with the words, THE AMERICAN COMEBACK and PROVE ME WRONG. Charlie Kirk can be seen sitting alone under the tent with several others standing nearby.
In another video verified by the BBC, Mr. Kirk is seen speaking at the rally for around four seconds, before a single gunshot is heard. He then appears to jolt backwards in his chair, before the camera pans away and the crowd begins to run in panic.
As the news broke, politicians from across the political spectrum, as well as right-wing influencers, condemned the attack. California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed that the attack was disgusting, vile, and reprehensible, urging a rejection of political violence.
The White House staff reacted with shock to the news, highlighting the tumultuous atmosphere surrounding the incident.
