Charlie Kirk shooting 'not difficult for trained sniper', claims expert

Charlie Kirk's killing was 'not necessarily difficult' if the gunman was a 'trained sniper', an expert has claimed.

Conservative influencer Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday as he addressed thousands at an event in Utah Valley University. He had been answering a question about mass shootings when he was fatally struck by a bullet from about 120 metres away.

Kirk was taken to an area hospitalwhere he died as a result of his injuries. The FBI announced it had taken two persons of interest into custody before both were released.

New images of another person of interest have been released and a manhunt is underway to track down their last movements. The person of interest could be seen wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, a black shirt with an American flag logo on the front.

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Following the killing, experts have shared their views on the skills needed to have taken the fatal shot. A former Army sniper told the Daily Star: "A 200m headshot is not necessarily difficult to achieve, not for a trained sniper.

"Various factors would come into play such as wind speed, the light and firing from a concealed position. Preparation is also key. This shooter would have been practising on a range or somewhere where he could shoot without raising suspicion.

"He would have had to practice with the same ammunition he was going to use on the day and make sure his telescopic sight was correctly zeroed or aligned so he was going to hit what he was aiming at."

The armed forces member, who remained anonymous, also said the shooter "would have been under a certain amount of stress." They continued: "I have to say that luck was also on the shooter’s side. If he was aiming for a head shot he was slightly off because he hit the throat. If he was aiming for the centre of mass - the body then he was high."

Donald Trump confirmed Kirk had died in a post shared to social media. He said: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."

Kirk's widow Erika is said to be devastated by the killing of her husband and is reportedly struggling to tell their two children about how to tell them their dad is not coming back home.