US right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck and killed on Wednesday during an event at a university in Utah.
“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.
Conflicting statements
Officials investigating the fatal shooting gave conflicting accounts as to whether the suspected shooter was in custody, with FBI Director Kash Patel saying a subject was in custody and local police officials saying the shooter was at large.
Patel said on X that “the subject” was in custody.
Shortly after that, Beau Mason, the head of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said the suspect was still at large.
“While the suspect is at large we believe this was a targeted attack,” he said.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said a “person of interest” was in custody.
Kirk falls off
Cellphone video clips of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk, 31, addressing a large outdoor crowd at the campus in Orem, Utah, when a loud crack that sounded like 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.
“A shot was fired from a nearby building, and we have a suspect in custody,” a university spokesperson told Reuters in an email.
Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X.
Kirk and Turning Point, the largest conservative youth organisation in the country, played a key role in driving young voter support for Trump in November. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.
“WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour,” Kirk wrote on X ahead of the event.
After winning a second term, Trump credited Kirk for mobilising younger voters and voters of colour in support of his campaign during a rally in Phoenix in December.
“You had Turning Point’s grassroots armies,” Trump said. “It’s not my victory, it’s your victory.”
Kirk and Turning Point, the largest conservative youth organisation in the country, played a key role in driving young voter support for Trump in November. His events at college campuses nationwide typically drew large crowds.
“WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour,” Kirk wrote on X ahead of the event.
After winning a second term, Trump credited Kirk for mobilising younger voters and voters of colour in support of his campaign during a rally in Phoenix in December.
“You had Turning Point’s grassroots armies,” Trump said. “It’s not my victory, it’s your victory.”
Kirk had 5.2 million followers on X and was the host of a popular podcast and radio programme, “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 have helped to amplify the president’s agenda.
Kirk frequently attacked mainstream media and engages in culture war issues around race, gender and immigration, often in a provocative style.
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 US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In July 2024, 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 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 state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and shot 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.
Both Republican and Democratic politicians had expressed support for Kirk following the shooting.
“Political violence is NEVER acceptable,” Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, said on X. “My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X, “Please join us in praying for our good friend, Charlie Kirk.”
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk killed in Utah campus shooting
