CHARLIE Kirk’s assassin could be exposed by picking apart key details of the shooting – including how they were allowed to access the roof, experts say.
Security specialist Will Gedes highlighted crucial clues surrounding the MAGA firebrand’s death – before giving his take on whether the murder was a professional hit.
An expert has revealed key clues which could get Charlie Kirk’s killer nailed[/caption]
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah[/caption]
Kirk, 31, was gunned down Wednesday afternoon in front of terrified crowds while hosting a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
An urgent police manhunt for the suspect is still underway as authorities try to piece together the deadly attack.
Asked about the extent to which he thought the shooting was pre-meditated, Gedes told The Sun: “There was most certainly advanced reconnaissance.”
Revealing the telltale signs of the killer’s thought out plan, he added: “They [the shooter] would need to get full access right up to the location where they took that shot.”
The expert explained that the shooter must have had “access control cards” in order to enter the building to get into the stairwell and then to the roof.
Without key access cards, Gedes believes the attacker would not have been able to get to the roof.
“I’ve worked with a number of companies over the years who have had employees commit suicide,” he added.
“They’ve always been conscious… to ensure that roof access could only be achieved by security, maintenance or someone working within the facilities.”
He also told how the circle of individuals who had access to the roof would have been “very small”.
“And again, part of the security planning in advance by the security team would be to see who does have access,” he said.
“It’s difficult to say right now without knowing more information, but this could have been planned over weeks or certainly days.”
With the shooter still at large, officials are asking for any information that could lead to their capture.
Heavily armed police are now going from door-to-door as they search for the killer – who is described as wearing a dark clothes and carrying a long gun.
Haunting footage also showed what is believed to be the suspect lying prone on top top of a building roof.
Gedes explained that although the attack was tragic, it was sadly not a “huge surprise” to him.
He noted the increasing division between the far left and far right, as well as the fact that many of his critics warned he wasn’t welcome at before the event.
Authorities have arrested and released two suspects following the shooting[/caption]
A dark figure is seen appearing to lay on top of the roof[/caption]
The longtime Donald Trump ally was doing a Q&A with students with his nonprofit Turning Point USA when he was hit[/caption]
“It was only a matter of time before something like this was possibly going to happen,” Gedes reflected.
Speculating on what the potential faults of the conservative influencer’s security were, he said: “There was a major failing in how they planned the security around Charlie Kirk.”
He stopped short of criticism, saying it was difficult to make such a comment, but suggested a number of measures which could have been implemented.
Asked if there should have been bulletproof glass between Kirk and the crowd, Gedes said that this would have reduced intimacy with his audience.
But he suggested ways in which they could have made the shooter’s life a lot harder.
The expert said: “There could have been ways where he could have been beneath an overhang of hard cover like concrete, which would make it very difficult for someone from a higher aspect to be able to take a shot at him.
“But he was simply under a flimsy cabana, which provided no protective cover whatsoever.”
Gedes also said if he were in charge of protecting Kirk he would have mapped out every line of sight to him, looked for weak points, and identified any areas the security team couldn’t cover.
Emphasising the importance of roof access, he said he would have asked: “The roof areas, what access is afforded, is it on an access control key?
“Have there been any losses of access control cards recently that could have been utilised by someone who stole it for this particular purpose?”
The crowd desperately flee the scene after shots were heard[/caption]
The lawn was left barren after attendees fled the scene[/caption]
Speculating on whether or not the shooter was a professional assassin, Gedes said: “In my estimation, it could have been achieved by an amateur.”
He claimed the shot was fired “less than or approximately 200m from the stage”.
“If it was indeed the person on the roof with a high velocity, high, high calibre weapon, I would guess maybe a 308,” he explained.
“I wouldn’t discount it being necessarily professional, but equally I wouldn’t discount it being an amateur.”
He also spoke on the shady character spotted dashing away from the roof following Kirk’s assassination.
Gedes said: “If the individual that’s been spotted lying prone on the roof and subsequently, once the shot had been delivered, started running away across the roof, he was indeed the assassin.”
Charlie Kirk’s rise to hero of the youth MAGA movement
CHARLIE Kirk transformed conservative youth activism from a marginal movement into a powerful force before his assassination on a college campus at 31.
Kirk was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality who rose to prominence as the co-founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
He launched the organization in 2012 when he was just 18 years old, with the goal of promoting conservative principles to high school and college students and became a significant figure in American politics by building a massive grassroots network, framing himself as a “culture warrior.”
The rise of Turning Point USA
Turning Point USA’s mission was to counter what Kirk and his allies saw as liberal dominance on American college campuses.
It quickly grew to prominence through his use of provocative activism and viral social media campaigns.
They created watchlists of professors pushing leftist propaganda and organized events to debate students on controversial topics.
The strategy helped them gain a significant following and financial backing from wealthy conservative donors.
Kirk’s ability to connect with a new generation of conservatives was one of his most notable impacts.
He cultivated a style of political engagement that was heavily reliant on social media, podcasts, and confrontational public appearances.
His organization’s events, such as the annual Student Action Summit, drew thousands of young attendees and featured prominent conservative speakers, creating a new kind of political ecosystem for young people who felt alienated from traditional conservative groups.
A key ally of Donald Trump
Kirk also became a staunch supporter and ally of President Donald Trump.
He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention and served as an aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign.
This relationship solidified his position within the Republican Party’s “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) wing, and his organization became an integral part of Trump’s political apparatus.
Through his popular podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” and his frequent appearances on conservative media, Kirk was a powerful voice in the pro-Trump movement.
He often framed political issues as a “spiritual battle” between good and evil and championed a pugnacious, populist form of conservatism.
His influence was so significant that after Trump’s 2024 victory, Kirk was credited with helping to mobilize younger voters for the campaign.
Influence on culture and social issues
Beyond traditional politics, Kirk’s influence extended deeply into social and cultural issues.
He was a vocal opponent of “woke” ideology, particularly in education and media.
He promoted traditional values, often encouraging young women to prioritize becoming homemakers and mothers over professional careers.
Kirk also openly criticized programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
He was also a major proponent of Christian nationalism, arguing that there is no true separation of church and state in the United States.
The Turning Point Empire
Kirk’s activism led to the expansion of the Turning Point brand into a larger political and media empire.
He launched Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group focused on voter mobilization, and Turning Point Faith, aimed at engaging evangelical Christian communities in conservative politics.
These affiliated organizations allowed him to broaden his reach and influence beyond college campuses, into a more mainstream political force.
He also said there were “so many questions to be raised” with the security team, especially after Trump’s assassination attempt last year.
And he slammed officials for detaining a number of suspects before releasing them.
“I understand that the police and law enforcement will throw their net far and wide, But certainly there needs to be intrinsic investigation, reverse engineering of how this individual managed to get into the building, who they might be and what their route of exit would have been,” he said.
The FBI have detained and since released two suspects following the bungled manhunt operation.
Kirk, an outspoken commentator who frequently appeared on Fox News, was best known for co-founding Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization aimed at organizing students.
Donald Trump posted a video message on Truth Social, saying he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” adding it was a “dark moment for America“.
Trump earlier announced Kirk’s death in a separate Truth Social post, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and their two young children.
The pro-gun activist was speaking about shootings in the moments before he was murdered at the university with a single gunshot.
Just seconds after he paused during a student Q&A at the school, the shot was heard ringing out in horrifying footage of the shooting.
Blood was seen gushing from Kirk’s neck as he fell off his chair, as bystanders screamed, “Get down! Get down!”
Memorials paying tribute to Kirk[/caption]
