The maniac gunman who assassinated MAGA conservative influencer Charlie Kirk during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday is in custody, FBI director Kash Patel said Wednesday.
The gunman opened fire on the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA while he was on stage conducting a Q&A session from a pop-up tent on the Oren campus during his American Comeback Tour, according to the Oren Police Department.
The unnamed alleged assassin was on the run until he was captured following a manhunt, Patel said.
“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with the FBI,” he posted on X.
Earlier reports mistakenly identified an older white man as the suspect, but cops refuted that claim.
A clip circulating on social media showed the man kneeling on the ground in white shorts and a blue sweatshirt, telling officers, “I have the right to remain silent.”
Kirk was answering an audience question about mass shootings committed by transgender people when he was blasted in the neck by the fatal bullet from roughly 200 yards away with a long gun, sending thousands of spectators into a panic, according to sources and a flurry of social media posts.
The married father of two jerked back and appeared to recoil in pain and grab at his neck as the crack of a single gunshot rang out from the crowd, a harrowing video from the scene shows.
Kirk was rushed to a nearby hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but later succumbed to his critical injuries, former Turning Point USA employee Laci Williams told The Post.
Stay up to date on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at the event with his family, told Fox News that the shot came during the second question Kirk was answering about transgender shooters.
“He fell back to his left,” he said.
“Everybody was screaming, then everybody was running.”
Chaffetz added that while Kirk had some security guards in front of where he was speaking, there were no security checks going in, and the event had a light police presence.
He told the outlet he believed it was “no coincidence” Kirk was shot during the question about transgender mass shootings, adding that he realized “he may be criticized for that.”
Chaffetz said he believed that Kirk was shot at close proximity from the front of the stage.
The right-wing activist, a close ally of President Trump, rose to prominence on YouTube and X, gaining fame for his unapologetic and often boldly expressed conservative views.
He has boasted millions of followers and billions of views for videos in which he would engage in fiery debates with students on college campuses.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump posted on Truth Social following the fatal attack.
“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!”
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika Frantzve, whom he married in 2021, and two young children.
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