A video circulated online appears to show an unidentified bearded man cheering and looking back toward the direction of a gunshot moments after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a Utah university event.
The footage, which has been widely shared and clipped from television feeds, shows a young man wearing a black T-shirt and a backwards baseball cap pumping his fists and appearing to celebrate immediately after the single gunshot that struck Kirk in the neck, according to the video. The man, who has long hair and a beard, remained standing while other spectators dropped to the ground after the shot, and in some frames appears to turn his head in the direction of where the shot came from.
Users on the social platform X shared the clip and posted reactions, with some asserting the man was cheering after Kirk fell. Those characterizations were posted by X users and have been widely disseminated online; the identity of the man in the video has not been confirmed by law enforcement.
Charlie Kirk, 31, a conservative influencer and father of two, was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon when he was struck by a single gunshot, officials said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and later died, police said. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said it has been contacted about the video shared online.
The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office and the Utah Department of Public Safety have said the shooting was a targeted attack. The FBI released photos of a person of interest as investigators continued an active search for the suspect. Authorities have not publicly announced any arrests or released a suspect’s name or motive.
Video of the immediate aftermath shows people screaming and cowering on the ground while the man in the clip remained standing, according to the footage. Online posts accompanying the clip describe the man as looking back in the direction of the shooter; law enforcement officials have not confirmed the man’s connection to the shooting or identified him.
Political leaders from both parties condemned the killing. Vice President J.D. Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance, altered travel plans to visit Salt Lake City on Thursday to pay respects to Kirk’s family, officials said.
Investigators urged the public to avoid sharing unverified videos and to report any relevant footage directly to law enforcement to aid the probe. The FBI and local authorities are reviewing tips and evidence, and the manhunt for the person who fired the shot remained active as of Thursday.
Kirk was a prominent conservative activist who drew large audiences at public appearances. The slaying of a public figure at a campus event has prompted renewed attention to security at political gatherings and to the spread of graphic footage online. Authorities warned that initial online material can be fragmentary and that verified, corroborated evidence is critical to the investigation.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment on the video or on the identity of the man shown in the footage. The investigation is ongoing.