Charlie Kirk shooting latest: Trump blames ‘radical left’ with manhunt underway after MAGA activist killed on Utah campus

Charlie Kirk’s journey to political prominence began at a young age, writes Kevin E G Perry.

He was born on October 14, 1993, in Arlington Heights, Illinois into a wealthy family who lived in a five-bedroom mansion in Prospect Heights, on the outskirts of Chicago.

His father was an architect who designed and built middle-class luxury estates, while his mother was a trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange who later worked as a mental health counsellor.

Classmates described the young Kirk as “rude”, “arrogant”, with “a superiority complex.”

The two individuals who were previously questioned by police in relation to the killing of Charlie Kirk have “no current ties to the shooting,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

The two men have since been released as the shooter remains at large.

“There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals. There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter,” said the department.

“The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard,” the statement added.

The FBI is appealing for information from the public as the suspect remains on the run.

MAGA supporters and mourners were pictured at a vigil for Charlie Kirk at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City.

Many wore the red ‘MAGA’ branded caps and held banners with Kirk’s image on at the vigil.

In Phoenix, Arizona, a banner in Kirk’s memory was installed outside the Turning Point USA’s headquarters.

Charlie Kirk was not yet pronounced dead when conservative Republicans began assigning blame to Democrats on Capitol Hill — and then the shouting began, Eric Garcia writes.

As the House of Representatives convened for a vote, it planned to first hold a moment of silence and prayer for the conservative youth activist who led Turning Point USA and had become the face of the right-wing youth movement that supported President Donald Trump.

But as Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) sought to read a prayer, Democrats pushed back.

“The Southern Baptist in me, that’s not what we do,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told The Independent. “We pray to God, then we pray out loud.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida yelled at Democrats across the aisle, “Y’all caused this,” which could be heard on C-SPAN cameras.

“Pass some gun laws,” one Democrat shouted back.

Eric Trump said that Charlie Kirk was “a dear friend” to the “entire family” in a social media tribute.

First Lady Melania Trump said that Charlie Kirk’s children will “be raised with stories instead of memories” following his assassination.

Melania has shared the short tribute on the official FLOTUS X account.

The FBI is appealing to the public to submit tips online as Charlie Kirk’s killer remains at large.

FBI director Kash Patel earlier posted that the individual who “took the life of Charlie Kirk” was in custody, but a couple of hours later said they had been released.

Now authorities are searching for a new person of interest and the manhunt continues.

Authorities are seeking a new person of interest in Kirk’s assassination, according to a law enforcement official.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The Utah Department of Public Safety has also confirmed no one is currently in custody in the investigation into Kirk’s killing.

President Donald Trump said that Charlie Kirk’s death marked “a dark moment for America.”

The president released a video statement Wednesday evening from the Oval Office.

“Our prayers are with his wife, Erica, the two young, beloved children and his entire family who he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of heartache and pain. This is a dark moment for America.”