US President Donald Trump urged Americans to uphold Charlie Kirk’s values. Utah authorities, along with the FBI, are investigating the incident. The shooter remains at large, and two briefly detained individuals were released.
Utah: Soon after conservative activist and US President Donald Trump’s ally Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University, social media posts wrongly identified a Canadian retiree as the gunman. Michael Mallinson, 77, a former banker living in Canada, said he was stunned when his daughter called to tell him his photo was being shared online. Thousands of posts on X claimed he was “a registered Democrat from Utah who had shot and killed Kirk.” Speaking to The New York Times, Mallinson said he was shocked by how quickly the false narrative spread. “How quickly it can happen, how one’s name and photo can get spread around quite quickly,” he said. Trump reacted to the assassination urging Americans to uphold the ideals he championed. “I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died — the values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law, and the patriotic devotion and love of God,” Trump said in a statement.
False claim spread from fake account
The confusion appears to have started with a fake X account named “Fox 11 Reno,” which impersonated the branding of a Nevada Fox affiliate. The account, previously used for Spanish-language content, has no ties to the real station. It deleted the false posts after other users began amplifying them, with some calling Mallinson “pure evil.” A spokeswoman for Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns the legitimate Reno station, said the company was working to have the impersonator account shut down.
Meanwhile, Utah police said no suspect is in custody. The Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed the case remains an active investigation in coordination with the FBI and local authorities. Two people were briefly detained and released. Officials said the shooter, dressed in dark clothing, fired a single round from a rooftop about 200 yards from the stage. Kirk, the head of conservative group Turning Point USA, was addressing a large crowd when the shot rang out around 12.20 pm. local time. Videos from the scene showed attendees running for cover as Kirk’s security team rushed him into a waiting SUV. He was taken to hospital, where he later died. Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the killing as a “political assassination.”