Videos posted to social media showed Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone at Utah Valley University when a single shot rings out.
WASHINGTON — A person of interest in the fatal shooting of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk is now in custody, officials said in an update Wednesday evening. The investigation is ongoing.
President Donald Trump confirmed that Kirk, 31, died after he was shot at an event on the Utah Valley University campus.
A man taken into custody immediately after Kirk was shot was eventually determined not to be the shooting suspect, but was charged with obstructing justice.
Who shot Charlie Kirk?
It’s not yet known who the suspected shooter was.
An initial alert from the university said a suspect was in custody, and video posted on social media appeared to show an older man being detained afterward. Officials later said the suspect was still at large and the man detained was cleared of being the shooter.
FBI director Kash Patel then said in a social media post around 6:30 p.m. ET that a suspect had been taken into custody.
Shortly afterward, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed in a press conference that a person of interest was now in custody.
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogan “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”
A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching for his neck with his right hand. Stunned spectators can be heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.
A rash of political violence in the US
The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum.
The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April.
The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.
President Donald Trump survived two assassination attempts in 2024, including one where a bullet whizzed by the then-candidate’s ear at a rally in Pennsylvania. That shooter was killed by a Secret Service sniper as Trump was moved to cover.
Another accused would-be-assassin was arrested by Secret Service agents near where Trump was golfing in Florida shortly after, before any shots were fired.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.