Chilling video released after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk appears to show a dark figure on a rooftop moments before and after the attack at Utah Valley University, recordings and witness accounts indicate.
The clips, recorded from inside a UVU building behind the tent where Kirk was speaking, show roughly 3,000 people at the event diving for cover as shots rang out. In footage taken immediately after the shooting, a small dark shape can be seen moving across the roof of a building opposite the tent where Kirk was addressing the crowd.
Separate video that appears to have been shot on the Utah Valley campus before the attack shows a dark shape lying prone on the same rooftop where the gunfire later came from, while people in the vicinity can be heard reacting and pointing to the roof.
"There's somebody on the roof right there," one person is heard saying in the earlier clip. "He just ran from over there, ran in, now he's right there." Those lines are audible in the footage as people nearby questioned what they were seeing.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator, was shot Wednesday while speaking at the university event and later died, according to reports. The identity of a suspect has not been confirmed in the footage, which investigators and media outlets have reviewed, and police said the investigation remains active.
Authorities responded to the scene as attendees scattered; the videos capture the immediate chaos as people ducked behind chairs and tents and some attempted to help the injured. University officials and local law enforcement announced they were investigating the circumstances of the shooting and urged anyone with additional footage or information to come forward.
The campus footage has drawn renewed attention because it appears to show both a pre-attack presence on the rooftop and movement across the building just after the shots were fired. Investigators typically use such material to establish timelines and positions of potential suspects and witnesses; law enforcement agencies often ask the public to submit any relevant video to aid that process.
Kirk had been a frequent speaker at college events and a high-profile figure in conservative politics. Wednesday's gathering at UVU was described by organizers as drawing thousands of attendees. The shooting has prompted statements of concern from political figures across the spectrum and renewed debate about security at public events, though specific policy responses were not detailed by authorities in the immediate aftermath.
Law enforcement agencies investigating the incident have not publicly released all details of their findings. University officials said they are cooperating with investigators and providing support to students, staff and attendees affected by the shooting. Anyone with information relevant to the case was asked to contact local police.
The release of the videos adds to a mounting record of cell phone and security footage investigators routinely review after public shootings. As authorities continue their work, the content of the clips will be examined alongside forensic evidence and witness statements to determine movements, possible entry and escape routes, and any other persons of interest connected to the shooting.