Several videos went viral on social media shortly after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday (US time). Although the shooter responsible for the staunch Donald Trump ally’s death still appears to be at large and FBI’s manhunt continues to be underway, the Internet almost had most of us believing that the person responsible had already been caught. As far as official word goes, no such actual suspect had been formally named or identified by the authorities at the time of writing.

In addition to the numerous speculated names going around on X, formerly Twitter, another man particularly caught the eye of a significant number of netizens on the Elon Musk-led platform.

Viral video shows man celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death

On September 10 (US time), a widely-circulated footage, as also shown on a national TV news broadcast, captured a man seemingly celebrating Kirk being attacked. The moment, allegedly caught on camera moments after the right-winger was hit in the neck with the fatal shot, prominently shines attention on the man in question as everyone else around him is seen cowering in fear.

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With thousands of people attending the event hosted by Kirk as part of an ongoing campaign backed by his organisation Turning Point USA, chaos erupted on the university grounds when a shot was fired. Some officials have already considered the possibility of being a targeted attack that solely intended to hurt Kirk. Now that a viral clip, which has amassed millions of views on X, has captured a yet-to-be identified man allegedly “cheering” the fatal shooting of the media personality, the Internet is also weighing the chances of it being an “organised attack.”

In the clip, the male individual is spotted wearing a cap backward. Donning what appears to be a black T-shirt, the man with the long hair repeatedly pumps his fists in the air, rejoicing at Charlie’s misfortune. Netizens also specifically paid attention to how he’s seen turning back and looking up during his celebrations. His instant reaction has led many to mull over whether he was already expecting the shot to strike Kirk.

Internet wonders if Charlie Kirk’s death was a ‘coordinated attack’

“If this is real, it needs to be investigated,” wrote user @RealMichaelKee. Sharing the video, he added, “To have this reaction so soon afterwards is like he was anticipating the shot, plus it looks like he is looking back towards where the shot came from.

The user noted further that everyone else’s head was still down, and yet, this particular man is “willing to not only cheer but stand above everyone and face the direction of the shot.” Many other replies in the comments section agreed with the sentiment, and questioned why he was looking directly at “the building where the shooter was on the roof.”

Meanwhile, user @SafetyNotorious was among some who shared the full footage of what happened on the ground at that moment. Screen-grabbed from TikTok, this rather extended clip gave a better context of the situation at hand, while also accurately presenting the situation as it is.

Countless netizens are already demanding the FBI to look into the issue and divulge the “dancing” man’s identity. Questions like “Who is that” or “Who is he” popped up in connection to the viral video. “Shameless and vile. Almost like he knew it was coming,” someone else commented on X.

Timing of Charlie Kirk’s question under speculation

While the jury’s still out on whether it was a coincidence or a planned measure, Kirk was discussing the controversial issue of gun violence in the US seconds before he was shot.

“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?” someone from the audience asked him, as per BBC. “Counting or not counting gang violence,” the Trump ally said right before the gunfire was heard.

Some are already questioning the “strange” timing of the series of events leading up to Kirk’s death.

“Was the timing of the attack on Charlie Kirk designed to send a message?” wondered user @realtalkstruth. Another said, “Is it too much of a coincidence that Charlie Kirk was asked about gun violence and then he was shot? Was that question a “Go Signal”? Has the person who asked that question been investigated?”

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Suspect yet to be named in Charlie Kirk’s shooting

The aforementioned clip came to light shortly after an even more popular video caught a glimpse of a person being stationed on the roof of a building on the opposite side of where Kirk’s tent had been put up.

According to a university spokesperson, the shot that killed the conservative activist came from the roof of a building called the Losee Center at the university, which is about over 142 yards or 130 metres away from where Charlie was sitting. On top of that, Beau Mason, head of Utah’s Department of Public Safety, asserted in a press conference that the life-claiming gunfire originated from a “longer distance shot, from a roof.”

A person wearing an all-black ensemble was spotted lying on the same roof before the shooting. However, as authorities are still analysing the video’s veracity, it remains unclear if the person pictured therein was the shooter.

In what emerged as separate apprehensions, two individuals were previously taken into custody. As also confirmed by FBI Director Kash Patel, they were eventually released after interrogation. Amid the ongoing probe, a lot of confusion has hovered over the identity of the suspect. Although law enforcement authorities have described certain individuals as “subjects” or a “person of interest,” neither has been officially named a suspect.

This is an ongoing investigation.