Topline
Conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has died after being as shot at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“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,” Trump posted after the shooting Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the university confirmed to Deseret News and The New York Times that the suspected shooter was not in police custody—although the university previously reported that one was apprehended.
Utah Valley University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes, but confirmed on social media the shooting took place around 12:10 p.m. MDT.
Kirk was “hit and taken from the location by his security,” UVU said after the shooting.
UVU closed its campus and canceled classes after the shooting, instructing students to “leave campus immediately” and “follow police instructions.”
The shooter fired from a campus building about 200 feet away, a spokesperson for the university confirmed to CNN.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show a bullet strike Kirk in the neck while speaking before a crowd, while others show people rushing out of a courtyard.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was “closely monitoring” the situation and that agents would “be on the scene quickly” to support the response.
Kirk was speaking at an event for his “American Comeback Tour,” and his organization was scheduled to host a “Prove Me Wrong Table” session at the Orem, Utah, campus on Wednesday at 12 p.m. MDT (3 p.m. EDT).
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Trump said in an earlier post, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” Vice President JD Vance echoed the president’s call for prayers, calling Kirk a “Genuinely good guy and a young father.” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said, “My heart goes out to Charlie, those in attendance, and their families.” Gov. Spencer J. Cox, R-Utah, emphasized “violence has no place in our public life,” adding those responsible for the shooting will be held “fully accountable.” The governor also called for Americans “of every political persuasion” to “unite in condemning this act.” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., wished Kirk a full recovery and said, “It does not matter which side you are on. There is simply no place for political violence in this country.”
Kirk, 31, is a right-wing political activist and co-founder of the Turning Point USA nonprofit that promotes far-right policies and politics on high school and college campuses. He founded the organization at the age of 18 in 2012 along with Illinois businessman William Montgomery, who died in 2020. Kirk, a prominent voice in culture wars on college campuses, hosts a daily radio show and podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, which ranks among the top 10 on Apple News’ list of top podcasts and has a strong Gen Z fan base. Turning Point USA runs the Professor Watchlist website to “expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom,” the website says. Turning Point USA formed a political action committee, Turning Point Action, in 2019 to back Republican candidates. Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have spoken at multiple Turning Point conferences and Kirk spoke at both the 2020 and 2024 Republican National Conventions. The PAC launched a $100 million voter outreach campaign in key swing states last year to target young Trump voters.