Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University. The incident has reignited concerns about the rising threat of political violence in the United States.
Trump announced Kirk’s death on his Truth Social platform, describing the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO as “Great, and even Legendary.”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote.
The shooting occurred while Kirk was speaking under a white tent at the university’s Sorensen Center courtyard during a debate hosted by his nonprofit organisation. The tent bore slogans including “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”
Videos verified by the Associated Press show Kirk holding a microphone as he responded to audience questions when a single gunshot rang out. He immediately reached toward his neck as blood poured from the left side. Attendees gasped and screamed before scrambling for safety.
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Moments before the shooting, Kirk had been fielding a question from an audience member about mass shootings in America.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the questioner asked.
“Too many,” Kirk replied.
The person pressed further: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk responded — seconds before the gunfire.
Authorities have not yet arrested the suspected shooter. Orem Mayor David Young confirmed that a person initially detained on campus was not the suspect.
Law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation, while shocked students and attendees were seen evacuating campus buildings in the aftermath.
