US: Conservative activist and Prez Trump ally, Charlie Kirk assassinated at Utah University

Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during a campus event in Utah on Wednesday.

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Authorities are treating the killing as a political assassination, intensifying concerns about rising violence tied to political divisions in the United States.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox described the shooting in stark terms. "This is a dark day for our state. It's a tragic day for our nation. I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination," he said. The attack occurred at Utah Valley University, where Kirk, 31, was appearing at a public debate organised by his youth organisation, Turning Point USA. He was speaking under a tent emblazoned with the slogans "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong" when a shot rang out from a rooftop. Witnesses saw Kirk clutch his neck as blood poured out, triggering panic among the roughly 3,000 people gathered. Video footage shared online captured the moment. Audience members gasped as chaos erupted, with people diving for cover, sprinting across decorative pools, and abandoning personal belongings in the scramble to flee.