Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot dead, manhunt under way

CHARLIE KIRK, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed on Wednesday at a Utah college event in what the governor called a political assassination carried out from a rooftop.

- Hannah Schoenbaum, Alanna Durkin Richer, Mark Sherman & Eric Tucker

CHARLIE KIRK, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed on Wednesday at a Utah college event in what the governor called a political assassination carried out from a rooftop. "This is a dark day for our state. It's a tragic day for our nation," said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. "I want to be very clear this is a political assassination."

No suspect was in custody late on Wednesday, though authorities were searching for a new person of interest, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the situation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Two people were detained earlier in the day but neither was determined to have had any connection to the shooting and both have been released, Utah public safety officials said.