Manhunt intensifies for suspect who killed Charlie Kirk

BBC:

Heavily armed policed are continuing to search for a suspect in the fatal shooting of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a busy event at Utah Valley University.

Authorities say the suspect fired a single shot from a nearby rooftop, hitting Kirk in the neck as he was speaking at the outdoor student event.

The 31-year-old founded Turning Point USA, a group that seeks to spread conservative ideas on American campuses, when he was still a teenager.

President Donald Trump called Kirk a patriot and said his death was a “dark moment for America.”

In a video post, Trump said he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk”.

Officials say six police officers were working security at the event – which attracted at least 3,000 people to the campus – along with private security hired by Kirk.

Video taken at the scene shows students running for cover as the gunshot rang out at 12:20 local time (18:20 GMT). No-one else was shot at the event.

On Wednesday, law enforcement initially gave conflicting answers about whether the suspect, who dressed in all black, had been caught.

Two people were taken into custody, but police said they were released and “there are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals”.

One man, George Zinn, was released after being charged with obstruction of justice. The other suspect was released with no charges filed.

“There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement on Wednesday night.

They said they believed the incident was a “targeted attack”.

“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.”