Federal authorities conducted an extensive search in a Utah college town for the elusive gunman who fatally shot conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, creating a terrifying scene that stunned the nation on Wednesday.

Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old influential conservative figure, was delivering a speech at Utah Valley University in Orem when he was abruptly shot in the neck at around 12:20 pm, causing him to fall from his chair as large crowds fled in panic.

The father-of-two was then rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect, who remains unidentified, purportedly fired shots from the roof of the Losee Center, with witnesses observing a mysterious individual fleeing the scene shortly after the gunfire commenced.

The center is located 200 yards away from where Kirk was debating with college students and locals about political issues.

He had just answered a question about gun violence when he was shot.

An elderly man, identified as 71-year-old George Zinn, was initially apprehended by police following claims that he had discharged the fatal shot. 

However, authorities swiftly concluded that he was not connected to the assassination, and subsequently confirmed that another individual taken into custody was also not the shooter.

‘There is no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,’ the FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety said in a joint statement.

‘There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter,’ the agencies added, as armed police officers were seen continuing to comb through the college town.

Still, officials vowed to pursue justice, with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noting that the state still has the death penalty.

‘To whoever did this: We will find you. We will try you and we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law,’ the governor warned the shooter at a news conference Wednesday night.

President Donald Trump later also vowed that his administration will find everyone involved with Kirk’s murder, as well as anyone else who has committed ‘political violence.’

The president spoke out about the ‘demonization’ of political opponents from the Oval Office in a four-minute video posted to his Truth Social account.

‘It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequences of demonizing those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible,’ he said.

‘For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today and it must stop right now.’

Trump went on to compare Kirk’s murder to the assassination attempt on his own life, the attacks on ICE agents, the alleged killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione and the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. 

‘Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,’ he said as he remembered his good friend, Kirk, as ‘a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America.

He concluded by asking all Americans to commit themselves to Kirk’s values: ‘The values of free speech, citizenship, the rule of law and the patriotic devotion and love of God.’

‘Charlie was the best of America and the monster who was attacking him was attacking our whole country.’ 

The president had been the first to announce Kirk’s passing, declaring: ‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.

‘He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’

The chaos erupted just about 20 minutes into Kirk’s ‘American Comeback’ event, in which the MAGA star – wearing a white t-shirt – was seen sitting inside a tented gazebo taking questions from attendees.

He seemed to be having the time of his life ahead of the fatal shooting, as he handed out hats and spoke to the 3,000-person crowd.

‘WE. ARE. SO. BACK,’ Kirk wrote on social media just moments before the shooting.

‘Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.’

But before Kirk arrived on campus, an online petition calling for  university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. 

The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its ‘commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.’

University police have since said they had six officers patrolling the scene and were working in conjunction with Kirk’s personal security team.

‘You try to get your bases covered, and unfortunately, today, we didn’t,’ University Police Chief Jeff Long lamented at a news conference Wednesday night.

‘Because of that, we have this tragic incident.’ 

Witnesses on the scene have described how Kirk started bleeding out at the scene before he was rushed to a nearby SUV.

‘The second it happened, I knew it was a gunshot,’ Sophie Anderson, 45, who was standing 100 feet from the stage when the shooting happened, told the Daily Mail.

‘He was shot in the neck and just fell over and he was just a fountain of blood,’ she said. ‘They carried him off. All these kids are just falling apart and bawling.’ 

But nearby, Adam Bartholomew said he saw people celebrating after they realized Kirk was shot 

‘Where I was at, in the group of counter-protesters, there was actually some excitement, some people that were seen to be celebrating,’ he told BBC NewsNight.

‘Saying “fingers crossed” that kind of thing.’

Liberals were also seen celebrating the assassination on social media.

Multiple TikTokers reacted casually to the shooting, with one mock crying while a dramatic song played, with the caption: ‘Charlie Kirk got s**t? Awwww.’ 

Another said: ‘I’m not saying Charlie Kirk deserved to be shot, but I think enablers to pedophiles should be shot, too.’

Liberal media was also criticized for its coverage of the tragic shooting with TMZ forced to apologize after staffers burst out into laughter the moment Kirk’s death was announced.

Harvey Levin later claimed the employees were laughing and clapping at a car chase – not at Kirk’s untimely death. 

Meanwhile, MSNBC was forced to fire political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested the gunshot could have been fired by one of Kirk’s supporters.

In another controversial moment, some Democrat Congressmembers rejected the opportunity to say a prayer for Kirk.

Speaker Mike Johnson held a moment of silence for Kirk on the chamber floor as questions swirled about whether the father of two was alive.

Following the somber moment of silence, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., called out to Johnson to hold a moment of prayer for the late media company founder. 

Some Democrats, clearly against the request for prayer, began cheering in unison ‘No!’

As the investigation into the shooting now continues, all classes have been canceled at Utah Valley University until Monday.

In the meantime, the president has ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening at 6pm EST in honor of Kirk.