A popular Ohio barbecue restaurant is facing major backlash after one of its co-owners called conservative activist Charlie Kirk a "piece of s--t" in a social media post following his assassination.
Shortly after Kirk, 31, was shot Wednesday while speaking at a campus event in Utah, Aaron Sharpe, co-owner of Lucius Q in Cincinnati, commented on a Facebook post from someone offering prayers for the husband and father of two.
"Good riddance," Sharpe wrote in a post that is no longer publicly visible but has been circulated widely online in screenshots. "What a piece of s--t," he added.
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On Wednesday evening, Sharpe doubled down on Facebook, posting: "Don't you dare come at me with your hypocrisy. … If you think that threats of social media attacks on me or my business will in any way keep me silent about what I believe, you are sorely mistaken."
Aaron Sharpe, co-founder of Lucius Q, sparked outrage after comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination. (Polly Campbell/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Many of his social media posts expressed criticism of President Donald Trump, who was an ally of Kirk. A 22-year-old suspect in Kirk's assassination has been arrested, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sharpe for comment. By late Friday morning, his Facebook account appeared to be deactivated.
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On Thursday, several of Lucius Q's business partners announced they had cut ties with the restaurant. Lucius Q later announced it had parted ways with Sharpe.
Cincinnati's TQL Stadium, which is home to Major League Soccer's FC Cincinnati and is a former Lucius Q vendor site, took to social media saying it had terminated its relationship with the restaurant.
"FC Cincinnati and TQL Stadium expect our vendors and partners to uphold the values of respect and tolerance that are core to our club’s identity," the stadium said in its statement.
TQL Stadium has terminated its relationship with vendor Lucius Q, according to a statement. (Chris Carter/Getty Images)
In addition to its flagship location in Cincinnati's Pendleton neighborhood, Lucius Q also operates inside the Gatherall food hall at the Factory 52 development in Norwood. The venues said in statements that they are taking the matter "very seriously" and are reviewing "all legal options."
Lucius Q's longtime meat supplier, Avril Bleh Meat Market, also announced that it has ended its relationship with the barbecue restaurant.
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"We never condone violence of any sort," the family-owned butcher said on Facebook. "For this reason, we have decided to sever our relationship with Lucius Q BBQ."
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a campus event in Utah. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters)
Steve Bleh, one of the sons in the family business, wrote in a separate post, "The family has decided we do not want to be involved with Lucius Q. No amount of money will ever be worth it."
Following the fallout with its partners, Lucius Q announced that Sharpe was "no longer associated with the business."
"We found the comments he made on his personal social media pages offensive and, as a result, have severed ties with him," a post on the company's Facebook page read.
Critics were quick to push back, however. "You can't get rid of a partial owner that fast," one man commented on Facebook. "Too late," several others said.
In a separate post on Friday afternoon, Lucius Q said it had successfully removed Sharpe from the business after his "abominable comments."
Lucius Q issued a public apology to Kirk's family. "We found the comments he made on his personal social media pages offensive and, as a result, have severed ties with him," the restaurant wrote. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
"While it is a difficult process to remove a minority owner from a partnership, the point is this person is no longer involved with Lucius Q in any way, shape or form," the group told Fox News Digital in an email. "The rest is just legal details."
Lucius Q apologized for Sharpe's remarks and said they "do not reflect the feelings of the current owners, investors, management or our incredible staff."
"As husbands, fathers, wives and mothers ourselves, we'd like to personally apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk. We take our commitment to the city of Cincinnati seriously and look forward to earning back its business."
"We'd like to personally apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk."
Backlash has continued to mount, with more than 4,000 people slamming Sharpe on the restaurant's X account and posting dozens of one-star reviews on Lucius Q's Google reviews page.
Though the restaurant described him as a "minority owner," a 2019 article from Northern Kentucky University described how Sharpe began looking for a side business while working as a station manager for WNKU, a Cincinnati radio station.
Lucius Q was founded in Cincinnati in 2018 by Aaron Sharpe, Jeff Keate and Shane Spears. (Google Street View)
He and friend Jeff Keate later tapped Shane Spears to help launch Lucius Q in 2018.
The restaurant was featured in a 2020 episode of celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
A now-deleted LinkedIn profile apparently belonging to Sharpe described him as a "communicator" and "community builder."
His Facebook profile also said he previously worked as a disc jockey and announcer for the Cincinnati Reds. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Reds for comment.