Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing influencer and founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck in Utah, according to a report from Deseret News and videos posted to social media.
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Kirk had died. Kirk’s spokesperson, Andrew Kolvet, confirmed his death to the New York Times. During a press conference Wednesday night the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, said a “person of interest” was in custody, but also said “we will find you” about the shooter, giving conflicting statements about whether they’ve actually apprehended the shooter.
Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, when a single shot was fired around 12:10 p.m. local time. Video posted to X captured the shooting, which showed Kirk’s head jolting backward after what sounds like a gunshot.
Videos of the shooting spread widely
Videos taken from the scene of the shooting have been posted on X, though several have been deleted for violating the social media platform’s terms of service. Some of the most graphic videos, including one taken relatively close that shows a large amount of blood, are still up as of this writing.
Kirk established himself as a high-profile figure in the MAGA movement by debating college kids on political issues, which is what he was doing when he was shot. Kirk’s appearance in Utah was the first of what was scheduled to be a 15-city “American Comeback Tour.”
Kirk’s last words
Another graphic video posted to X captured the conversation Kirk was having with someone on campus before being shot. Someone in the crowd asked the conservative influencer about trans people and mass shootings. Kirk has argued that mass shooters are disproportionately trans people.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” someone in the crowd asked.
“Too many,” Kirk replied to cheers from the crowd.
“The answer is five. Now five is a lot. Let me give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” the person asked.
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk responded before being shot.
The shooter is still large
Utah Valley University earlier reported that a shooter was in custody, and unverified video purporting to show the gunman went viral on X. But the man who was arrested in the viral video was not the shooter, according to the New York Times.
Police said during a press conference on Wednesday night that the man they arrested from the viral video remains in custody for obstruction of justice but he wasn’t the shooter.
A spokesperson for the university initially said the shooter was located at the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, according to the New York Times. But it’s unclear if that remains true.
Kash Patel tweeted at 6:21 p.m. ET that a “subject” was in custody but didn’t provide details. A reporter at the press conference with the governor of Utah asked about the tweet to see if Patel was referring to the man in the viral video and authorities clarified that Patel was referring to a new person.
But shortly before 8 p.m. ET Patel tweeted that the person they’d detained had been released.
Trump sends his condolences
“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 wrote on Truth Social at 3:40 p.m. ET.
“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!” Trump continued. The president has ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff until Sept. 14, according to the New York Times.
Later Wednesday night, Trump posted a video to Truth Social about the killing.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals.
This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
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— Matt Novak (@paleofuture.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 6:14 PM
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country.”
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— Matt Novak (@paleofuture.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 6:17 PM
When news of the shooting first broke, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that agents traveled to the scene of the shooting.
“We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” Patel wrote. “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
Gun rights advocacy
Kirk has a long history of supporting gun rights, including in 2023 when he argued that anyone aspiring to zero gun deaths in America was arguing for a “utopian society” that could never be achieved.
“It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment,” Kirk argued at the time.
High-profile figures respond
Billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X, responded to the videos circulating on social media, writing, “The shot looked real bad, but I sure hope Charlie makes it somehow. The Tesla CEO also wrote “the left is the party of murder.”
Fellow conservative commentators on X also responded with an outpouring of support for Kirk. “Everyone please stop what you are doing and pray for Charlie Kirk. Please,” Candace Owens wrote on the social media platform.
White supremacist Nick Fuentes, who once had someone show up to his own house with a gun, wrote on X that it “feels like a nightmare,” describing it as “one of the most horrific things” he’s ever seen.
“I feel absolutely gutted and devastated. Pray for Charlie Kirk’s soul, his young family and for our country. The violence and hatred has to stop. Our country needs Christ now more than ever,” Fuentes wrote.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and proponent of stricter gun control laws, posted to X that Americans must reject political violence. “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom wrote.
Vice President JD Vance showed his support for Kirk in multiple tweets before confirmation of his death, writing, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.” Vance also shared a photo of the two men, along with President Donald Trump’s son Don Jr.
Motive still unknown
Kirk’s last post on X before the shooting said that it was “100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska,” a 23-year-old woman who was recently killed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican congressman from Utah, suggested without evidence on Fox News that the shooter might be trans. It’s become a common claim on the right that most mass shooters are trans, something that’s not true.
Fox News’ Jason Chaffetz: “I don’t think it was a coincidence that the shot rang out when you have a question about transgender mass shootings. Hopefully I am wrong. I will probably get criticized for jumping to conclusions… I don’t think that is a coincidence but we will see.”
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— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 12:26 PM
There was another school shooting in the neighboring state of Colorado on Wednesday, where at least three kids were injured at Evergreen High School, just outside Denver. All three children are in critical condition, according to CBS News.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
