Chaos broke out at Utah Valley University when prominent right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot dead in front of thousands of people.

Mr Kirk, 31, was speaking to students about mass shootings on Wednesday when he was shot in the neck, leading students to flee and a manhunt for the killer beginning.

Many questions remain, with differing accounts and multiple videos across social media.

The Sky News Data and Forensic team has tracked and mapped the events before, during and after the killing to find out as much as possible about what happened.

When and where did the shooting happen?

Mr Kirk was speaking to around 3,000 people from under a small white tent on the campus when he was shot.

The event was part of his “prove me wrong” series, which saw the right-wing influencer visit campuses across the country and debate contentious subjects like gun control, free speech, LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights with left-wing students.

The event began at roughly 12pm local time.

Mr Kirk was taking questions about mass shootings and gun violence when, at roughly 12.20pm, he was shot.

It was a single shot that struck him in the neck, a university spokesman confirmed.

Madison Lattin, who was standing only a few dozen feet to the left of Mr Kirk when he was shot, said: “Blood is falling and dripping down, and you’re just like so scared, not just for him but your own safety.”

Footage from the scene showed Mr Kirk being carried away within seconds of the shooting.

Where did the shot come from?

In a statement on Thursday, the FBI said they had tracked the gunman’s movements onto the campus, “through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof, to a shooting location”.

They said they first tracked his movements from 11.52am, when they said he arrived on campus.

Videos from the event show the gunman was on top of the Losee Centre building – just over 130m away from where Kirk was speaking, according to an online measuring tool.

Two videos show a figure on the roof before and immediately after a shot is fired.

The first video shows what appears to be someone lying down. The person filming says “he just ran from over there” – pointing in the direction of a stairwell coming up the roof.

The second video is filmed in the moments after the shot is fired. You see a silhouette that appears to stand and move away from the roof’s edge.

Using videos taken near the stage, Sky News was able to confirm that this position has a direct line of sight to where Kirk was sitting at the time of the attack.

Audio analyst Rob Maher has estimated the distance the shot travelled, reaching a similar conclusion to Sky News’ analysis.

“The time gap between the crack sound and the pop sound in the recordings close to the podium is about 240 milliseconds,” he told Sky News.

“Since the exact trajectory of the bullet and the bullet’s speed is not known, I have to make an assumption that the bullet speed was likely about 800 meters per second. With that assumption, the time gap indicates that the firearm was likely about 140m from the podium”.

What weapon was used?

The weapon suspected of being used in the shooting has been found, according to FBI agent Robert Bohls, who told a news briefing in Orem, Utah, that it was a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle”.

“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” he said. “The FBI laboratory will be analysing this weapon.”

Mr Bohls added that they also found an “impression of a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis”; however the shooter remained at large.

Firearms consultant David Dyson told Sky News that, based on the range from where they are believed to have fired, the gunman would likely need to be a somewhat skilled target shooter.

But he suggested that while the shot may be difficult for anyone without experience, it’s “not a great range” for someone with practice.

“There’s target disciplines, for instance, [at] 800m. So you can shoot quite accurately at far greater distances than 150 yards,” he said.

“If we’re in that sort of ballpark, then you’re not looking at somebody with phenomenal skill,” he added.

What do we know about the shooter?

A manhunt is under way for the killer, which began on the university campus but has now extended beyond.

Police radio recordings show the first mention of the incident at 12.26pm, about six minutes after the shooting occurred.

Officers were on the scene within minutes, with one officer describing the suspect at 12.35pm as “wearing jeans, black shirt, black mask, long rifle”.

By 12.58pm, 32 mins after the shooting, armed officers could be seen checking the perimeter of the Losee building.

In an update on Thursday, authorities offered a few more details about the shooter, who they referred to as a male.

Beau Mason, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said he “appears to be of college age” and that he “blended in well with a college institution”.

The authorities added they were “doing everything we can to find him” but that “we’re not sure how far he has gone yet”.

The FBI later released images of a “person of interest” in the shooting.

Two people were arrested after the shooting, but neither was determined to have any connection with the shooting and were later released.

What sort of security was on site?

Witnesses have spoken about a supposed lack of security checkpoints, with people being able to walk into the event with backpacks without being searched.

“Anybody in the world could park anywhere around the university and walk right in,” one witness told Sky News affiliate NBC news.

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The UVU website states that “generally, anyone is allowed to enter areas that are open to the public” but non-public areas are restricted by “access cards, locked doors, or monitored entryways”.

A 2012 drone video shows the area around the shooter’s location on the 4th floor. A metal railing encloses an accessible balcony area which means that to reach the roof where the shot was taken, they could have climbed or jumped over the railing.

Extra security measures were put in place for the event. UVU Police Chief Jeff Long said six police officers were there as well as plainclothes police officers in the crowd.

Chief Long confirmed that Mr Kirk also had a security team, which travels with him, and said he coordinated with Mr Kirk’s lead security officer.

Analysis of the videos from the event show at least four men, who appear to be Kirk’s security team, surrounding the stage.

“We train for these things, and you think you have these things covered,” Chief Jeff Long said in his statement last night.

“You try to get your bases covered and unfortunately today we didn’t”.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

Right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has died after being shot while speaking to a large crowd on a university campus in Utah.

He was speaking to students about mass shootings on Wednesday when he was shot in the neck, leading students to flee and triggering a manhunt for the killer.

The 31-year-old Trump faithful was used to scores of people listening to him, both in person and online, as he advocated for conservatism among younger generations and became a leading voice in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

“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,” the president wrote on Truth Social after his death.

But who was Charlie Kirk, what were his views and how did he become so influential?

From high school protests to the president’s ally

Despite being younger than many of his contemporaries, Mr Kirk, born in Chicago in 1993, had been a staple of the right for some time.

His first taste of activism came when he and a classmate launched a protest against the rising price of food at his high school cafeteria. Soon after, as a high school senior, he wrote an opinion piece for the conservative news site Breitbart, in which he discussed liberalism in textbooks.

It catapulted him into politics, helping him get appearances on Fox News and at right-wing rallies, where he soon met activist Bill Montgomery.

Live updates on manhunt for Kirk’s killer

They co-founded Turning Point USA, a non-profit aimed at mobilising college-age Republicans, when Mr Kirk was just 18, in 2012.

Turning Point would soon attach itself to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, and went on to become a hugely successful entity, raising hundreds of millions of dollars as it helped build a coalition of young conservatives around the country.

The group’s website says it has 450 members of staff and presences in 3,000 high schools and college campuses.

While the organisation thrived, Mr Kirk became the young face of the MAGA movement on social media platforms, pushing Mr Trump’s big points, including his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

A day before the January 6th riots in 2021, he wrote on X that he was organising for “buses of patriots” to Washington to “fight for the president”.

At the time of his death, father-of-two Mr Kirk had become one of the biggest online voices on the American right, with 7.3 million followers on TikTok, 7 million on Instagram, 5 million on X and 3.5 million on YouTube.

His podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, is downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times each day, according to NBC News, and consistently charts highly on Spotify and Apple.

His influence was not lost on Mr Trump.

He often spoke favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.

During a rally in Washington, the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr Trump told attendees: “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”

He also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix, saying: “I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy.”

Kirk shot while holding debate on mass shootings

He was fierce in his right-wing views and a strong communicator, making him a polarising figure.

Critics accused him of promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories on issues including COVID-19, climate change and the 2020 US election.

Yet Mr Kirk, however firm his beliefs, was always keen to hear opinions he disagreed with, often setting up “prove me wrong” tables at university events where people were encouraged to challenge his views.

He would regularly debate left-wing students on contentious topics like gun control, free speech LGBTQ+ rights and abortion rights.

It was during one of his “prove me wrong” segments at Utah Valley University – this one centred on mass shootings – that he was shot.

His friend Hogan Gidley, who was deputy press secretary for Mr Trump between 2019 and 2020, says what Mr Kirk did for MAGA and for conservatism is “unparalleled”.

“At the same time, what he did to try to showcase the importance of discussion, just getting out there and saying your ideas, that’s what’s unbelievable,” he adds, speaking to Sky’s Trump 100 podcast.

“He kind of paved the way for so many in the younger generation to say, you don’t have to be violent, you can use your words, you can use information, you can use data… he was a pioneer in that way.”

Mr Kirk’s own death was entirely against what he stood for, Mr Gidley says.

“He changed some hearts, he changed some minds – he made people angry,” he says. “But that’s OK, because that’s part of discussion and honest debate.

“What this devolved into… was something that was violent and that was disgusting and deplorable. It has no place in American politics, but debate and discussion absolutely do and Charlie Kirk led that way.”

Trump ‘filled with grief and anger’

Friends, admirers and those on the other side of politics have been paying tribute to Mr Kirk.

Among them has been the president, who hailed him as a “great, and even legendary” figure who was “loved and admired by all, especially me”.

In a video message, he said: “I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.

“He inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror.

“This is a dark moment for America,” Mr Trump added, as he vowed a crackdown on “political violence”.

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Tributes have also come from former liberal presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

“This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Mr Obama said. “Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”

What is happening now?

A manhunt is under way for Mr Kirk’s killer, which began on the university campus but has now extended beyond.

Two people were arrested after the shooting, but neither was determined to have any connection with the shooting and were later released, according to Utah public safety officials.

As of late on Wednesday, no one was in custody, but the authorities are searching for a new person of interest.

“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah governor Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear, this is a political assassination.”

The suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk has been confirmed as a male who “appears to be of college age”, authorities have said, as a manhunt continues. 

In a briefing in Orem, Utah, on Thursday, FBI agent Robert Bohls said while authorities are not sure where or how far the suspect may have gone, they have pictures of his face which they may release in the future.

Kirk, a right-wing influencer, was shot dead on Wednesday while hosting a debate among university students. He died in hospital after being shot, authorities said.

Follow the latest updates on Charlie Kirk’s killing

Beau Mason, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in well with a college institution”.

“We are confident in our abilities to track that individual,” he added.

“If we’re unsuccessful in identifying them immediately, we will reach out for the public’s help and the media’s help in pushing those photos.”

Mr Mason reiterated “we are doing everything we can to find him”, but added: “We’re not sure how far he has gone yet”.

The weapon suspected of being used in the shooting has been found.

Mr Bohls said: “I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting… is a high-powered bolt action rifle.

“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analysing this weapon.”

Mr Bohls added that they also found an “impression of a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis”.

Read more:
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Moment gunshot heard at Utah Valley University event – Watch

Kirk, a Trump faithful, was used to scores of people listening to him, both in person and online, as he advocated for conservatism among younger generations and became a leading voice in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

President Donald Trump paid tribute to Kirk while on stage at a 9/11 memorial event in Virginia, saying he would be awarding him the presidential medal of freedom.

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“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt,” Mr Trump said.

“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children.”

The president said “we miss him greatly” and added that he has no doubt his voice and “the courage he put into the hearts of countless people will live on”.