Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, 31, died Wednesday after being shot while speaking at Utah Valley University.
President Donald Trump confirmed his death, announcing it on social media.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Turning Point USA, Kirk’s conservative nonprofit, also confirmed his death, asking that people respect his family’s “privacy and dignity.”
While a person of interest was taken into custody Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said the person had been released following “an interrogation by law enforcement.”
“Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” Patel wrote on X.
Another person was also arrested on campus, then released on an obstruction of justice charge. Utah authorities later clarified that neither had any ties to the shooting.
Law enforcement officials said they “were able to track the movements of the shooter” and believe the suspect is of college age, but they still had not detained anyone. At a press conference Thursday morning, FBI officials said they believed they’d recovered the weapon used in the shooting, as well as “footwear impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.”
The FBI later posted photos of someone the agency called a person of interest in the shooting and asked the public to help identify them. In apparent screengrabs from security footage, the individual wears a hat, sunglasses and a black, long-sleeved shirt with a graphic that appears to include an American flag. It’s unclear where the person is located in the images.
At a press conference Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) characterized Kirk’s death as a “political assassination.”
“When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened,” he continued, adding: “I don’t care what his politics are; I care that he was an American.”
WARNING: The image below depicts Kirk in the aftermath of the shooting.
Videos of the shooting are available here. WARNING: Extremely graphic and disturbing footage.
Illustration: HuffPost; Aerial image by Google
In memory of Kirk, Trump ordered all American flags lowered to half staff until Sunday evening.
Footage of the incident in Orem, Utah, circulating online appears to show Kirk being shot near his neck and bleeding profusely. The incident occurred roughly 20 minutes after Kirk began speaking.
Kirk was shot while fielding a question about mass shootings in America, video of the event shows. When asked if he knew how many mass shootings there had been in the U.S. in recent years, Kirk asked the attendee, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” He was shot immediately after.
Students immediately began to flee and take cover. Reporters on the scene from Deseret News told CNN it appeared Kirk had lost a lot of blood “immediately.”
Officials said at a press conference that the shooter fired “potentially from a roof” and was dressed in dark clothing. The investigation and a manhunt continued into Thursday, with crime scene investigators combing multiple locations at the university and the FBI soliciting tips from the public.
A petition had circulated before the event urging the conservative commentator and executive director of Turning Point USA not to speak at the university.
In response to Kirk’s death, Vice President JD Vance posted: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”
Former President Joe Biden also extended his prayers, writing, “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
Cox condemned the attack and said he’s working with the FBI to bring the shooter to justice.
“Violence has no place in our public life,” he wrote on social media. “Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was among the Democrats who said Kirk’s shooting was part of a larger problem.
“The scourge of gun violence and political violence must end. The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest incident of this chaos and it must stop,” she wrote on social media.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said Trump must take some responsibility for the recent wave of political violence.
“Political violence, unfortunately, has ramped up in this country,” he said, adding: “I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president’s rhetoric often foments it.”
According to the Utah Valley University Police website, concealed carry is permitted on campus.
The university evacuated the campus Wednesday afternoon and canceled classes until Monday.
Mark Wilson via Getty Images
Kirk founded Turning Point USA nearly a decade ago and became a right-wing darling in short order. He previously served as an aide to Trump during Trump’s first presidency.
Kirk hosted “The Charlie Kirk Show,” a program where he frequently espoused hard-right views, often with links to white nationalist conspiracy theories. A report from the Southern Poverty Law Center in May noted that Kirk’s foray into right-wing politics started out with his promotion of a “secular worldview” for conservatives that encouraged the separation of church and state, but that shifted, and his message began to align more with the religious far right.
Kirk launched Turning Point Faith in an effort to organize pastors and churches in 2021, often blending Trumpist-style politics with his own messaging.
Kirk was at the university as part of a tour he dubbed “The American Comeback Tour.”