Person Detained In Charlie Kirk Killing Is Released From Custody

(MENAFN- Live Mint) (Bloomberg) -- A person of interest who was in custody over the killing of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, has been released, FBI director Kash Patel said.

Kirk, executive director of the Turning Point USA advocacy group, was speaking at an outdoor event before a crowd at Utah Valley University when a single shot was fired from a nearby building, according to local police.

“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,” Patel said in an X post.“Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”

The shooting, the latest in a spate of political violence in the US, drew an outpouring of shock and condemnation from Republicans and Democrats alike. Kirk, 31, started Turning Point USA more than a decade ago and had turned it into one of the most influential groups helping to rally young voters to conservative causes. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

Trump called Kirk“great, and even legendary” and ordered American flags to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening.

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump said on his Truth Social social media platform

Utah Governor Spencer Cox described the killing as a political assassination. Kirk was at UVU for his group's American Comeback Tour, and was scheduled to set up a table called Prove Me Wrong, where the audience attempts to stump the pundit.

About 20 minutes after Kirk began speaking, a shot was fired from a building about 200 yards away, UVU spokeswoman Ellen Treanor said in an emailed statement. A video shared to social media shows Kirk falling back in his chair after a loud pop rang out.

The Republican National Committee called Kirk a“dedicated patriot who spent his life defending conservative values and inspiring young Americans.” Former Democratic presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama denounced the violence and offered sympathies to his family.

“Political violence has become all too common in American society and this is not who we are,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.“We need everyone who has the platform to say this loudly and clearly: we can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil way.”

Young Advocate

Originally from a Chicago suburb, Kirk began his conservative advocacy in high school. After graduating, he briefly attended nearby Harper College before dropping out to start Turning Point USA, where he raised money from prominent conservatives. His 2012 essay for Breitbart News about liberal bias in economics textbooks earned him invitations to interview on Fox Business and a speaking engagement at a local college.

Over the next decade, Kirk grew Turning Point USA into a powerful advocacy group, making him one of the most visible young conservatives in the country. The nonprofit supports“identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets, and limited government,” among high school and college students, according to Kirk's LinkedIn profile.

Kirk would often publicly debate college students and personalities across the political spectrum. He was the first guest on California Governor Gavin Newsom's podcast earlier this year, and was scheduled to debate progressive influencer Hasan Piker at a sold-out event at Dartmouth College later this month.

--With assistance from Jennah Haque, Alicia Clanton, Janet Lorin, Demetrios Pogkas and Adrienne Tong.

(Updates with subject being in custody)

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