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President Donald Trump honored MAGA ally Charlie Kirk on Wednesday night after Kirk's "heinous assassination" in Utah, calling the conservative a "martyr for truth and freedom" before blaming progressive rhetoric for the ambush.

"To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah," Trump said in a video message from the White House posted to his Truth Social platform. "Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror."

A former leader in the FBI said Wednesday night the agency was "back to square one" after authorities released a "subject" who had been taken into custody in connection with the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk, 31, was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization. He was shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University.

Journalist Marc Lamont Hill clashed with Piers Morgan on a new episode of "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on Wednesday over the seeming lack of media coverage of a high-profile crime.

Late last month, a Ukrainian refugee named Iryna Zarutska was brutally stabbed to death while riding public transit in Charlotte, North Carolina. The killing sparked intense debate online about media coverage of serious crimes.

Two Republican lawmakers disrupted a solemn moment on the House floor Wednesday honoring conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who had been shot and hospitalized earlier in the day, by turning their attention toward their Democratic colleagues.

Kirk died Wednesday following a shooting at Utah Valley University. The incident occurred during his “American Comeback Tour,” where he was participating in a question-and-answer session while sitting cross-legged on a table under a tent.

The killing of Charlie Kirk has triggered a firestorm of violent rhetoric on social media, with people growing increasingly bloodthirsty, MSNBC White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard warned on Wednesday evening.

Kirk was killed during a political event with college students at Utah Valley University in Orem.

A pair of MAGA personalities threatened to exact "retribution" after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Steve Bannon, one of President Donald Trump's top advisors during his first administration, and MAGA commentator Jack Posobiec talked about Kirk's killing on a recent episode of the "Bannon's WarRoom" podcast.

Fox News' Jesse Watters went into a tirade on Wednesday evening, following news that right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem.

"This hits differently, because Charlie was one of us," said Watters. "And Trump gets hit in the ear. Charlie gets shot dead. They came after Kavanaugh with a rifle, to his neighborhood. They went after Musk's cars. They just shot two Jews outside the embassy. Think about it. Scalise got shot, barely survived. It's happening, we've got trans shooters, we've got riots in LA."

A former Utah Valley University student who attended the event where conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was killed on Wednesday described the event's security to CNN as "fairly mild."

"I would say security was fairly mild for the amount of people that were there," Dallin Smith told CNN's Jake Tapper on Wednesday. "I don't think they expected that many people. It seemed like a little bit more than some of the other events that you can watch."

NBC News, White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard reported that after far-right activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University event on Wednesday, Washington had "come to a halt."

Speaking to MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, Hillyard said that, given the relationships that Kirk had with lawmakers, the attack has paused regular business as those on the right awaited the official word about Kirk's death.

A House committee hearing Wednesday erupted into chaos when Rep. Maxwell Frost (D‑Fla.) and Rep. Clay Higgins (R‑La.) engaged in a shouting match so heated that Frost accused Higgins of being a “lapdog” for President Donald Trump, forcing the panel to pause proceedings.

The confrontation began midway through a session debating law-enforcement powers and public safety. Higgins, who is sponsoring a bill expanding police ability to pursue fleeing suspects, was asked by Frost why he had not called up the National Guard in his state, as he had done in the capital.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) buried his Republican colleagues in mockery during a congressional hearing this week for parroting President Donald Trump's denials that his signature on the bawdy doodle in deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's birthday book was authentic.

In particular, Moskowitz called on House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) to put his money where his mouth is.

GOP strategist Scott Jennings remembered the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday after Kirk was shot dead while speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus.

Kirk was shot in the neck from about 200 yards away, according to CNN. He was seated under a tent when the shot was fired. Police have not yet arrested the gunman, according to reports.

Reports that Trump ally Charlie Kirk had died left two prominent conservative figures in tears.

Kirk died shortly after being shot at an event in Utah. Speaking to Glenn Beck after the incident, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly said that she trusted the outlets reporting it, but that she didn't want to believe it.