As you may very well have heard this evening, Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while making a speech in Utah.
The conservative pundit and popular podcast host was only 31 years old.
In the wake of this tragedy, those from both sides of the aisle have expressed shock, horror and sadness over the development… while we’ve now learned that a suspect is no longer in custody.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, authorities said a person of interest had been apprehended.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said that authorities do not possess information “that would lead us to believe there there is a second person involved” in what he described as a “political assassination.”
HOWEVER, a couple hours after this announcement was made, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote the following on Twitter:
The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.
Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was about 20 minutes into a presentation Utah Valley University when the unknnown suspect fired a gunshot from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, university spokesperson Ellen Treanor told CNN.
Based on CCTV footage, the shooter — who only fired one shot — was dressed in all dark clothing, the commissioner said, adding:
“I believe this was a targeted attack towards one individual.”
No other information regarding this man or woman is known at this time.
Charlie Kirk is survived by his wife, former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve, and their two kids, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on September 10. “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.”
Later, via an Oval Office address, Trump said of the late influencer:
“Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before…May God bless his memory.”
We’ll continue to update this website with news regarding the Charlie Kirk shooting as it breaks.