Donald Trump had turned his head at a decisive moment: the bullet grazed his ear and he escaped with only a scratch during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Charlie Kirk was not so lucky. The charismatic 31-year-old influencer, a leading figure of the MAGA ("Make America Great Again") movement, was assassinated on Wednesday, September 10, shot in the throat as he spoke under a tent, wearing a "Freedom" T-shirt, on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, south of Salt Lake City in the western United States. According to the police chief, he had been speaking for around 20 minutes in front of more than 3,000 people when the gunshot hit him, sparking panic. The shooter, apparently positioned on the roof of a building more than 100 meters away, fired a single shot at 12:20 pm local time before fleeing. In videos shared on social media, a sharp noise is heard, blood spurts and Kirk collapses.

The tragedy came as a shock to Trump supporters, plunging the country once again into the throes of recurring political violence. "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," posted Trump on his Truth Social network, before ordering that American flags be flown at half-mast until Sunday evening.

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