Given Kirk’s relative fame and history of generating viral clips through the debates commonly occurring at his talks, it was hardly surprising that a good many event goers were filming with their mobile phones at the moment when the shot – believed to have come from the rooftop of a nearby building – was fired.

Said videos immediately made their way to social media, with a number of them doing rounds before the mainstream media had time to properly report on the incident.

Rooftop suspect

At the time of writing, the shooter has not been apprehended by authorities. Police arrested two suspects, but later released them.

TMZ claim to have uncovered haunting dispatch audio from the shooting, during which responders can be heard briefing their counterparts over the radio. They first report that an individual has been shot at Utah