Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/The Salt Lake Tribune
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Callum Jones
Topics: Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Charlie Kirk's death has already prompted a number of conspiracy theories, and the truth has emerged about a man standing near Kirk at the time of the shooting who people said looked similar to one of Donald Trump's secret service agents.
The killing of political commentator Kirk this week will have hit close to home for Trump after he was nearly assassinated twice last year.
In July 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks took to the roof of a building located near to where Trump was hosting an open-air campaign in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Crooks proceeded to fire several rounds in Trump's direction with one of the bullets grazing the president's ear.
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Once shots were fired at Trump, Secret Service agents barricaded the now president in a bid to keep him safe.
And one of the guys to have done this looks awfully familiar to a security guard for Kirk in Utah earlier this week.
"The guy behind Kirk sure looks familiar," one person penned on Twitter.
While a second added: "One of the guys making hand signals seconds before the shot looks awfully familiar."
However, a fellow social media user cleared things up by saying they are two different people.
"Not the same guy. The guy in the Charlie Kirk video was his personal security guard and has traveled with him to multiple events," they penned.
Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (September 10) as he hosted an open-air debate at the college campus.
The FBI released an image of a person of interest on Thursday (September 11) and called on the public to notify the agency if they have seen this person or know their identity.
Meanwhile, they said in a follow-up post: “The FBI is releasing video of the shooter who murdered Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Following the shooting, the individual jumps from a rooftop and runs away from the location.
“Trace evidence collected from the rooftop includes shoe impressions, a forearm imprint, and a palm print. The shooter's weapon and ammunition were recovered from a wooded area near the university.”
Three thousand people attended the debate in Utah, and the security in place at the event has been questioned.
Utah Valley University’s chief of police, Jeff Long, confirmed that only six police officers were present, while Kirk also had his own security team at the scene.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Long said: "You try to get your bases covered, and unfortunately, today, we didn’t. Because of that, we have this tragic incident."