Just one shot was all it took.

Charlie Kirk was struck and killed almost instantly, leaving the nation in shock.

US Army Sgt. Nicholas Ranstad now shares what he believes are the most revealing details about the shooter and how the attack unfolded.

“That’s a buffet..”

Charlie Kirk, CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, has died at 31 after being shot during an event at a Utah college.

An elite American sharpshooter suggests that the person who fatally shot him was likely an “internet shooter” rather than a trained military marksman.

US Army Sgt. Nicholas Ranstad said the unknown gunman, still on the run Thursday morning, probably taught themselves how to handle firearms and lacked formal military training.

Ranstad, who holds the record for the longest American kill in Afghanistan, told the Daily Mail the shooter likely had no military training.

“They’re probably just an internet shooter, not a sniper or trained soldier,” Ranstad explained in an interview.

Just like other witnesses noted, Ranstad also pointed out that the security appeared to be very light.

“The security was super light, no crime at that school. So I guess the threat was low, apparently,” he said. “That’s a buffet for someone who wanted to kill someone.”

The sharpshooter explained that Kirk was speaking in an open-air courtyard surrounded by high ground and multi-level buildings — a “fishbowl” perfect for a shooter.

“Money for shooters. Shooting down is easy,” Ranstad added.

Six officers were working at the event

University officials believe the gunman was positioned on the roof of the Losee Center, across from where Kirk stood under a pop-up tent in the packed UVU Fountain Courtyard. The event was free and first-come, first-served.

Ranstad estimated the single fatal shot traveled over 200 yards, with lax security making it possible for the shooter to get in unnoticed.

“When you have events like that, you look at the security, if you push 250, 300 yards, it’s an easy shot,” he said.

“Not to mention out in the open, wind is low out in the country. It’s not like in the city where a bullet flying past the buildings will move more.”

UVU Police Chief Jeff Long said six officers were working the event alongside Kirk’s security team, and more than 3,000 people were in attendance.

“We had some plainclothed police officers that were in the crowd as well. We train for these things. You think you have things covered and these things unfortunately happen,” Long said.

Ranstad believes the shooter used a high-powered rifle, not an AR-style weapon.

On Thursday, at a press conference, authorities released new information, describing the suspect as college-aged. Moreover, a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting has been discovered in a wooded area, and a footprint has also been recovered. The firearm was described as a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle,” NBC reported.

Speaking at the press conference, FBI special agent Robert Bohls revealed that they have an image of the shooter. He added that he doesn’t believe the community is at risk and that they are “exhausting every resource” to find the the person responsible.

Bohls explained that he “can’t comment specifically on his face” as it is part of the ongoing investigation. Even so, he added that they will “release that shortly.”

“We’re not sure how far he has gone yet,” Bohls commented, per the BBC.

Kirk was answering questions about mass shootings when the fatal shot struck him in the neck. Crowds panicked, screaming and running as the conservative activist was rushed by security to a vehicle and driven to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Ranstad said the shooting appeared meticulously planned.

“He probably had an exfil plan. Normally it’s crazy people who shoot 30 rounds. This was one shot, that was it,” he said.

”They had a plan”

“In my opinion, they had a plan. If you think about it, one shot, he’s not caught … when I saw the old dude, I knew it wasn’t him,” he added, referring to an older man briefly detained by police.

Two people were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the shooting but were subsequently released as it was found they had “no current ties” to Kirk’s death.

President Trump honored Charlie Kirk, describing him as “a martyr for truth and freedom.” In a four-minute video shared on Truth Social, he called Kirk’s death “a dark moment for America” and praised the late activist for inspiring millions. Trump has also directed that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff to pay tribute to Kirk.

News outlets worldwide have been covering the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk since yesterday. Among them is US celebrity news outlet TMZ, which has been caught in the middle of hefty criticism after laughter and applause were heard in the background of their live stream covering the event.

Social media quickly turned their rage on TMZ, which has now forced the network to apologize and explain what really happened.

Like many other networks, TMZ chose to do a live stream of the coverage following the shooting of Charlie Kirk. A bullet struck the conservative activist in the neck while he spoke at an event at Utah Valley College in Orem, Utah. Hours later, President Donald Trump announced that the 31-year-old had tragically passed away.

As TMZ’s Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere announced the death of Charlie Kirk on the network’s live stream, laughter was heard in the background. Social media users were disgusted with what they heard.

“During today’s TMZ livestream, employees were heard cheering, clapping, and celebrating just 30 seconds before announcing Charlie Kirk’s death,’ one X user wrote, per the Daily Mail.

“They laughed and applauded the cold-blooded murder of a husband and father on a public broadcast, like it was some kind of sick joke, before handing it off to Harvey Levin.”

TMZ under heavy fire after laughter heard on live stream amid Charlie Kirk’s death

Another person, Conservative personality Laura Loomer, branded the incident “disgusting.”

“Shameful and disgusting behavior by TMZ. Shame on them. Charlie is a husband and a father. He was murdered in cold blood,” Loomer wrote on X.

It didn’t take long before TMZ responded. In a video published on their X account, TMZ Executive Producers Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere began by apologizing and explaining what had happened.

‘We were livestreaming all day during this tragedy,” Levin said. “When we were reporting the assassination of Charlie Kirk, there were some people in the back room, away from our news desk here, who were watching a car chase.”

Levin went on to explain that those heard laughing and clapping weren’t doing so because of Kirk being shot, but rather because of the car chase they were watching. He stated that the individuals wouldn’t still be working at TMZ if they they had been laughing at Kirk’s demise.

Latibeudiere continued: “We acknowledge that it was horrible timing. And for that, we are sorry. We assure you, [the laughter] was not about that.”

Forced to apologize

Later, TMZ released an entire article, apologizing for the incident.

“We want to address something that happened during our TMZ Livestream coverage of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. As Harvey and Charles were reporting the developments in our newsroom, there were employees in another part of the building watching a car chase.”

The article further read: “The people watching that car chase began laughing and clapping in reaction to what they were seeing, but we want to make it clear … they were not cheering in response to the assassination.”

“Nevertheless … watching a car chase at that moment was tone deaf, and the sounds of laughter at that crucial moment were totally out of line,” it concluded. “We apologize to anyone who heard that as we were in the middle of covering such a tragic story.”

Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and co-founder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, died after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University. The manhunt for the shooter is still ongoing.

Students were seen fleeing the scene after a gunshot was heard, but some stayed in the vicinity. One video shows an individual walking to the tent in which Kirk was shot and stealing hats.