Trump ally Charlie Kirk, 31, shot dead at Utah university event
Seconds before he was shot, Charlie Kirk was being questioned by an audience member about gun violence, according to multiple videos of the event posted online.
WASHINGTON: U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, an influential ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday at an event at a Utah university in what the governor described as a political assassination.
It was not clear whether the suspect had been arrested. A "person of interest" is in custody, Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference, and FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that the "subject for the horrific shooting" was in custody. But Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the suspect remained "at large."
"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. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us," Trump wrote on social media.
Cellphone video clips of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk, 31, addressing a large outdoor crowd at the school's campus in Orem, Utah, around 12:20 p.m. MT (1620 GMT), when a gunshot rang out. Kirk moved his hand toward his neck as he fell off his chair, sending the attendees running.
In another clip, blood can be seen gushing from Kirk's neck immediately after the shot. Reuters has not confirmed the authenticity of the videos.
The suspect likely fired from a rooftop, authorities said, adding that there were about 3,000 people gathered at the event.
The killing was the latest in a series of attacks on U.S. political figures, including two assassination attempts of Trump last year, that have underscored a sharp rise in political violence.
"This is a dark day for our state, it's a tragic day for our nation," Governor Spencer Cox said at the press conference. "I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination."
Kirk's appearance on Wednesday was the first in a planned 15-event "American Comeback Tour" at universities around the country. He often used such events, which typically drew large crowds of students, to invite attendees to debate him live.
Seconds before he was shot, Kirk was being questioned by an audience member about gun violence, according to multiple videos of the event posted online.
"Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?" Kirk was asked.
He responded, "Counting or not counting gang violence?" He was shot moments later.
Police have not yet publicly released any details about a possible suspect.
Far-Reaching Influence
Kirk and the group he co-founded, Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organization in the country, played a key role in driving young voter support for Trump in November.
After winning his second presidential term, Trump credited Kirk for mobilizing younger voters and voters of color in support of his campaign.
"You had Turning Point's grassroots armies," Trump said at a rally in Phoenix in December. "It's not my victory, it's your victory."
Kirk had 5.3 million followers on X and hosted a popular podcast and radio program, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He had also recently co-hosted "Fox & Friends" on Fox News.
He was part of an ecosystem of pro-Trump conservative influencers – including Jack Posobiec, Laura Loomer, Candace Owens and others – who helped to amplify the president's agenda. Kirk frequently attacked mainstream media and engaged in culture war issues around race, gender and immigration, often in a provocative style.
At the White House, staff members, many of them young and admirers of Charlie Kirk, were ashen-faced as news of the shooting spread.
Trump said on social media he had ordered all U.S. flags flown at half-staff until Sunday in Kirk's honour.
Political Violence On The Rise
While the motive for the shooting is unknown, the United States is undergoing its most sustained period of political violence since the 1970s. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts since supporters of Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In July 2024, Republican Trump was grazed by a gunman's bullet during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. A second assassination attempt two months later was foiled by federal agents.
In April, an arsonist broke into Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence and set it on fire while the family was inside.
Earlier this year, a gunman posing as a police officer in Minnesota murdered Democratic state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shot Democratic Senator John Hoffman and his wife. And in Boulder, Colorado, a man used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to attack a solidarity event for Israeli hostages, killing one woman and injuring at least six more.
In 2022, a man broke into Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer, leaving him with skull fractures and other injuries. In 2020, a group of right-wing militia members plotted unsuccessfully to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat.
Both Republican and Democratic politicians expressed dismay over the shooting.
"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord," Vice President JD Vance, who was close to Kirk, wrote on X.
"The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible," Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X, before Kirk's death had been confirmed. "In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form."
Charlie Kirk helped amplify Trump agenda
Charlie Kirk was part of a constellation of influencers who helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump's agenda, galvanizing conservative youth and rising to international prominence with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on such issues as race, gender and immigration.
Kirk, an Illinois native who co-founded the conservative student group Turning Point USA at the age of 18 and went on to become a rising star in the Republican Party under Trump, had just returned to the United States from an overseas speaking tour when he was shot to death.
On Sunday, he headlined an event in Tokyo organized by the far-right Sanseito party, which made big gains in Japan's upper house election in July. He also recently spoke in South Korea.
Kirk had 5.3 million followers on his X account and drew an audience of more than 500,000 monthly listeners to podcasts of his radio program, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He also authored or contributed to several books, including "Time for a Turning Point" and "The College Scam."
Influence Built on College Campus
In addition to founding Turning Point USA in 2012 with conservative activist Bill Montgomery, Kirk launched Turning Point Action in 2019 as a non-profit advocacy group backing conservative candidates for office.
Turning Point USA, an organization dedicated to advancing conservative causes on college campuses, was instrumental in driving youth support for Trump in the November 2024 election.
Kirk’s Turning Point events were raucous, a mix of a political rally, tent revival, rock concert and a professional wrestling match. Speakers would take the stage backed by ear-splitting anthems and bright pyrotechnics before often high-spirited crowds of thousands.
Kirk was provocative, taking aim at Muslim politicians, including Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh and Islam as a whole. He expressed xenophobic views of the Islamic world and Islamic culture, pointing to Europe to make his case. He said in April, "Islam has conquest values. They seek to take over land and territory, and Europe is now a conquered continent."
During an August podcast episode, Kirk accused Democratic lawmaker Jasmine Crockett, who is Black, of being part of an “attempt to eliminate the white population in this country.”
“The great replacement of white people is far more sinister than any redistricting project,” Kirk said.
The son of a counselor at a mental-health clinic and an architect, Kirk saw his political career propelled with a 2012 op-ed he wrote for conservative media outlet Breitbart that caught the attention of Fox News, according to a February New York Times report.
Fox then booked Kirk to discuss the national debt, the Times reported. That appearance led to a speech at Benedictine University, where he met Montgomery, a local Tea Party activist. Montgomery encouraged Kirk to spread his message to college campuses, and registered the name Turning Point USA for Kirk in July 2012.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika, a former Miss Arizona USA beauty pageant winner, and their two children.
