The shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah had the hallmarks of a professional assassination, according to several security experts.

The prominent conservative activist, who was 31, was struck in the neck by a single gunshot as he delivered a speech to a large crowd on campus at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday. He collapsed and was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Analysts point to the firing of a single shot and a preestablished escape route as evidence that the shooting had been carefully planned.

Why It Matters

Kirk was the founder of the right-leaning youth organization Turning Point USA and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump.

Trump released a video message late on Wednesday saying he was "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", calling it a "dark moment for America."

The murder comes against the backdrop of bitter political divisions within American society with Alex Goldenberg, a senior adviser to the anti-extremism Network Contagion Research Institute, telling Newsweek the U.S. has an "emerging assassination culture."

What To Know

Kirk was shot as he was addressing the crowd from an open tent on a stage in Orem at about 12:20 p.m. (2:20 p.m. ET) on Wednesday.

Former FBI Agent Stuart Kaplan said the shooter likely put a lot of preparation into the attack, telling Fox News' Jesse Watters: "This assassination, different to the attack [on Trump] back in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a very well planned, very well orchestrated plot that was put in motion days before.

"This individual had a plan of escape to elude detection of being out on a rooftop, and also being able to evade and elude law enforcement," added Kaplan. "This assassination of Charlie Kirk to me is indicative of a professional hit, and I'm not so sure we are quickly going to be able to apprehend this individual without some luck."

Kaplan pointed to the shooter's use of only one shot and immediate disappearance as a sign of careful preparation ahead of the attack.

"The shot that was taken, was taken to immediately incapacitate Charlie Kirk, and so this was not some amateur who just got up on a rooftop," said Kaplan. "This seems the earmark of a professional that got up onto this rooftop well in advance. He was clearly undetected, and there was no indication that anyone saw him. After that, one single shot was taken.

"This is someone who had some experience, some level of sophistication, to have mapped out exactly how this was going to go down."

Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen on stage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen on stage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Getty Images

Former Republican New York State Senator and Homeland Security adviser Michael Balboni made a similar point, telling Fox News: "It's an incredibly chaotic scene on a college campus. Hundreds and hundreds of people there, right immediately afterward.

He added: "That a rifle sound... was heard, and yet nobody was able to identify an individual, which most likely means that the individual was shooting from concealment and maybe had some way to suppress or to hide the flash of the gun, and again, indicating that this is a sophisticated individual.

"One shot hitting the target from 200 meters away and then escaping without anybody seeing them—those are the hallmarks of a professional."

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

What Happens Next

A search is ongoing for Kirk's killer. Kash Patel, the FBI Director, said on X that a person arrested after the shooting, initially thought to be the individual responsible, was subsequently released after questioning.

Another person arrested in the aftermath has also been released.