Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah campus event

KABUL (Pajhwok): US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a key ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot dead on Wednesday while speaking at a Utah university, according to media reports.

Authorities said no suspect was in custody as of Wednesday night—nearly eight hours after the midday shooting at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, during an event attended by approximately 3,000 people, Reuters reported.

The suspected shooter, believed to have fired a single shot from a rooftop sniper’s nest on campus, remains at large, said Beau Mason, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, during a press conference held four hours after the incident.

Utah State Police issued a statement Wednesday night confirming that two men had been detained and one was questioned by law enforcement. However, both were later released.

“There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,” the statement read. “The investigation and manhunt for the shooter are ongoing.”

In a video message recorded in the Oval Office and shared via Trump’s Truth Social platform, the former president vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund and support it,” Trump said.

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