OREM, Utah — President Donald Trump announced today that conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died after being shot during an event in Utah.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University, sending students scrambling for cover and prompting a massive law enforcement response.
Kirk, 31, was hit in the neck just after noon during a Turning Point USA event in the school’s Sorensen Center courtyard. He had been answering a question from a student at a “Prove Me Wrong” debate table when a single shot rang out.
Witnesses said Kirk grabbed his neck and collapsed as blood became visible. “It was one shot, aimed directly at him,” said former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was on campus and saw the shooting unfold.
Video from the event showed students screaming, diving for the ground, and rushing away from the courtyard.
Campus officials initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody but later walked back that statement. Police said the person detained was not the shooter, who remains at large. Authorities believe the shot came from about 200 yards away, fired from a nearby building.
Kirk was rushed by security to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition and ultimately died.
The university immediately placed the campus on lockdown, canceled classes and events for the rest of the day, and advised students to either shelter in place or evacuate with police guidance.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined local officers in the investigation.
National leaders from both parties condemned the violence. Former President Donald Trump called Kirk “a great guy from top to bottom” and urged Americans to pray for him. Vice President J.D. Vance called Kirk “a genuinely good guy and a young father,” while Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said political violence must not be tolerated.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the shooting “disgusting, vile and reprehensible.”
Kirk, a close Trump ally, co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and is known for hosting provocative debates on college campuses. Wednesday’s event was part of his “American Comeback Tour,” which features his signature “Prove Me Wrong” sessions with students.
Kirk has long been an outspoken supporter of the Second Amendment, often arguing that armed citizens are essential to protecting freedom and deterring government overreach. Through Turning Point USA and his media platforms, he has opposed new gun restrictions and aligned himself with groups that advocate expansive gun rights.
Just before the shot that fatally killed Kirk, he was fielding questions about mass shootings and gun violence.
"Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?" an audience member asked. Kirk responded with a simple, "too many."
The follow up question: "Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?"
"Counting or not counting gang violence?" Kirk asked in clarification.
A single shot then rung out.
Kirk was noted as going limp in his chair.
Utah Valley University said counseling resources will be available to students and staff in the coming days.
Close friend of Kirk and political commentator, Brilyn Hollyhand said in an interview with Fox News "I want viewers to remember Charlie as a family man... Who took still took the time to turn his phone off on Sundays. To go to church with his kids. To go to church with his wife. And those are who people are thinking of right now. His amazing wife Erica, his two young children. What do you say to them now? Do you say that dad went to speak at a college campus, a place of free expression and he never came home?"
Hollyhand drove home that Kirk always opened his talks with "if we disagree please come to the front of the line." He believes this person who disagreed with him could have solved everything just by talking and Kirk would still be here.