Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Since news of Charlie Kirk's death was announced, members of the Trump family - including the president and his sons Don Jr and Eric - have spoken fondly about the close personal ties they had with him.

Matt Dallek, a professor at George Washington University, tells the BBC that the relationship between Kirk and the Trump family was “really important” to his broader influence in both terms.

“Trump prizes loyalty above maybe anything else,” he says. “And if Don Jr is saying he was like a brother to him, that suggests just how great a supporter Kirk was.”

According to Dallek, Kirk remained loyal even during the fallout of the 6 January 2021 riots at the US Capitol, when some other conservative figures turned critical of Trump.

“At Trump’s lowest point, Kirk was there backing him,” says Dallek. “They had a maximalist bond.”

Image source, Getty Images

As we've reported, Trump is heading to New York.

He's set to attend the Yankees-Tigers game in the city, the White House has confirmed.

Because of Trump's presence, the US Secret Service has alerted fans about heightened security.

The agency is also advising fans to arrive early and "consider leaving your bags at home to help speed up the security screening process".

On Wednesday, the Yankees held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk at their home game, with an image of Kirk displayed on the stadium's large screen.

Two US officials and a law enforcement source say they believe they have identified the name of a "person of interest", according to the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

CBS adds that no arrest warrant has been issued yet.

Here's more from that statement from Utah's Department of Public Safety. It says:

• Multiple leads are being investigated but no suspect is in custody
• The photos released earlier are of the "potential shooter" and were taken from security footage on campus just before the shooting. Earlier, officials labelled the subject "person of interest"

• The reward of up to $100,000 for information "speaks to the seriousness of the crime", the statement says
• No further detail is given on the weapon. The statement mentions reports of potential inscriptions and symbols - but says "we are not able to provide further details on the content of those inscriptions" or confirm the authenticity of any photos
• There have been more than 200 tips from the public - "and they keep coming in"

We've just had a new update from law enforcement in Utah, who say they are looking at "multiple leads" in the hunt for Charlie Kirk's killer.

We'll have more from that statement shortly.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

At times, Trump's tone seemed to harden even more and he paced back and forth along the lengthy stream of reporters gathered on the lawn.

At one point, he suddenly came so close to me that I was momentarily terrified that I was going to accidentally strike him with the radio microphone pole I was holding just inches from his sternum.

When asked about the investigation and any potential leads, the president gave few details away.

"I have an indication," he said, his eyes narrowing. "But we'll let you know about that later."

He reserved his harshest words for the suspect that remains at large.

"He's an animal. Total animal, and hopefully they'll have him," he told us.

"What he did is disgraceful....what this man did, was disgraceful. Hopefully we'll have him and deal with him appropriately."

At one point, Trump thanked us and walked away, only to abruptly reverse course when he saw a young reporter that works for Turning Point USA - Charlie Kirk's organisation.

"They're great friends of mine," he said of the organisation.

After taking a few more questions on other matters, Trump walked away, quickly entering the helicopter before taking off.

It's possible we may hear from him again tonight - particularly if there are developments in the case.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump took off from the South Lawn of the White House at exactly 16:47 EST (20:47 GMT) - but not before coming over to talk to reporters for an extended Q&A session, focused largely on the death of Charlie Kirk.

At the start of the questions, Trump confirmed he had spoken to Charlie Kirk's wife and family.

"She's devastated, absolutely devastated," he said of Kirk's wife Erika.

When I saw him earlier this morning, Trump seemed unusually subdued, speaking softly and slowly. But now, he appeared to be his usual self - speaking with a louder, more forceful tone than before.

At one point, he was asked about his own safety - but said he is "not really" concerned.

"I'm really concerned for our country. We have a great country, but a radical left group of lunatics out there," he said. "We're going to get that problem solved."

Speaking about the gunman, Trump says: "Hopefully we'll have him, and we'll deal with him very appropriately."

He also says Charlie Kirk was an advocate of non-violence and that’s how he, the president, would like people to react.

Image source, Reuters

Trump says he has spoken to Charlie Kirk's family.

Of his widow Erika, he says: "She's devastated, absolutely devastated."

Trump has just spoken about the manhunt for Charlie Kirk's killer, telling reporters he's really concerned for the country and that a "radical left lunatic" is out there.

Asked about the investigation, he says: "I'd rather not say, I think progress is being made."

He called the attacker an "animal" and Kirk a "great man".

Just a reminder - we still don't know the identity or motive of the killer.

President Trump has spoken to reporters at the White House before flying from Maryland, just outside Washington DC, to New York.

We’ll have some of those comments soon, plus analysis from our reporter Bernd Debusmann.

Image source, Cambridge Union/YouTube

A British man who debated Charlie Kirk during his visit to Cambridge University earlier this year says he’s saddened about his murder.

Archie Mackintosh, 23, from Norfolk, debated Kirk and asked him a question about monogamous relationships in society, external.

“My initial reaction, as soon as I heard the news, was a feeling of sadness that he’s gone,” he tells the BBC.

“Despite the fact that I disagree with a lot of his opinions - maybe most of them - he was generally so driven about trying to make the world a better place in his eyes, and he was very promoting of open debate and free speech, which I can get behind. I think it’s nice having people like that in the world to challenge your own ideas.

“I enjoyed debating him because he said things that made me think. If nothing else, I got the impression that he was an incredible father and husband.”

Image source, Reuters

As night fell in Madrid, people gathered outside the US Embassy to light candles and hold placards of the conservative activist.

Meanwhile in Berlin, more than 100 people gathered for a vigil, including Beatrix von Storch, a leading figure of the far-right party AfD, according to Reuters news agency.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

'Is this what 250 years has wrought upon us?'published at 21:08 BST 11 September

21:08 BST 11 September

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Charlie Kirk's killing is both another episode of shocking gun violence in America – and the latest in an ever-lengthening line of recent political violence.

Earlier this year, two Democratic state legislators in Minnesota were shot in their homes – with one dying from her wounds. Last year, Donald Trump was twice the target of assassination attempts.

Two years before that, a hammer-wielding assailant broke in to the home of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a prominent Democrat. In 2017, a man opened fire on Republican congressmen practising on a baseball field.

Many prominent Republicans and Democrats have lined up to condemn political violence and call for a cooling of rhetoric.

Trump, in a video address from the Oval Office posted on his Truth Social website, called the killing a "dark moment for America".

But he wasted little time in blaming the "radical left" for Kirk's murder. He ticked through some of the recent instances of political violence - those that targeted conservatives - and said his administration would find "each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence".

Those comments are sure to be welcomed by those on the right who in the hours after the shooting called for a crackdown on left-wing groups.

"It is time, within the confines of the law, to infiltrate, disrupt, arrest and incarcerate all of those who are responsible for this chaos," conservative activist Christopher Rufo wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Utah Governor Spencer Cox – who has frequently spoken out against overheated political rhetoric and political divisiveness – on Wednesday night described a "broken" nation.

"Is this it?" he asked. "Is this what 250 years has wrought upon us?"

"I pray that is not the case".

Read more: Killing of Trump ally lays bare America's bloody and broken politics

We can now bring you police radio communication shortly after the shooting at Utah Valley University.

An officer can be heard saying there had been a shooting at Charlie Kirk's event and they were fielding several calls.

Another officer is heard saying "there was one shot" and mentions a staging area on campus.

Updates have been coming in thick and fast over the last few hours. Here's the latest:

• The FBI has released pictures of a "person of interest" in the shooting of Charlie Kirk
• They're asking for the public's help to identify the person, and say they'll offer a reward of up to $100,000 (£73,645) for information about the incident
• The killer is still at large, but officials tell CBS that the weapon found in a wooded area - where authorities believe the gunman fled - was an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle
• Charlie Kirk's body will be flown on Air Force Two - the vice-president's aircraft - to Arizona, the state where he lived, according to officials who spoke to CBS

• You can also take a look at what we know, and don't know about the shooting so far

Earlier, we were also expecting a news conference on investigation updates, but it was cancelled due to "rapid developments in our investigation", according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.

We'll keep monitoring the situation and bring you updates as soon as we have them.

Image source, Reuters

People who witnessed Charlie Kirk's shooting have shared how they felt the moment the shot rang out on the Utah Valley campus.

One student says everyone dropped to the ground, where they stayed for nearly one minute, before fleeing from the scene.

In Utah, officials were expected to hold a news conference around now to update the public on the investigation into the Charlie Kirk shooting.

The Utah Department of Public Safety now says that, due to "rapid developments in our investigation", that news conference is suspended.

Apart from politicians changing the arrangements for their appearances, some campuses belonging to historically black colleges and universities - known as HBCUs - have also cancelled activities, with some saying there were potential threats.

No connection has been made to the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, imposed a lockdown after it "received a potential threat to campus safety". The campus alert on X did not specify what the threat was.

Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama, has advised that campus will be closed for all of Thursday, with all activities cancelled. It added that people will be "permitted to leave" once their building has been cleared by law enforcement.

Virginia State University in Chesterfield, Virginia, warned that it had "received a threat" and, out of an abundance of caution, the campus remains on lockdown.

Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, has "ceased all non-essential activity effective immediately" for Thursday and Friday due to a "potential threat". The social media post did not specify what the threat was, but encouraged remote meetings and, for students on campus, to "minimise their movement".

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says these threats are "yet another indication that the explosion of hateful extremism is out of control".

"These attempts to intimidate everyday Americans will not stand. We need leadership at this moment that brings the country together," he says.