Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead at a Utah university event on Wednesday.

Here's how it unfolded:

Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his political youth organization Turning Point USA.

Photos taken at the event show Kirk positioned behind a barrier with security guards nearby.

Moments before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.

Then a single shot rang out.

Videos posted to social media show spectators screaming and running away.

A few minutes after the shooting, an officer describes a possible suspect spotted on the roof of a building on campus.

As the sun set in Utah, people held a vigil outside the hospital where Kirk was pronounced dead.

The shooting comes amid a spike in attacks on political figures in the US across all parts of the ideological spectrum.