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Tag: Utah Valley University

  • What we know about ongoing manhunt for Charlie Kirk shooting suspect

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    What we know about ongoing manhunt for Charlie Kirk shooting suspect

    Good morning. I’m Bo Mason, commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety. I’d be remiss if we didn’t start off today to recognize the significance of, of the day, um. Historically on 9/11, law enforcement has come together as *** group to recognize and honor those that sacrificed. To preserve the ideals of this country, the freedoms of this country. And instead, we find ourselves today hunting *** murderer. We chose to violate our rights, the rights of an individual within this country. Just to recap yesterday’s events. At around 12:20 p.m. Political influencer Charlie Kirk was in Utah Valley University, participating in *** student sponsored event with Turning Point USA. Charlie was shot at that event. He was transported to *** local hospital where he later passed. Last night, his body was moved to the office, the state office of the medical examiner. We will continue to facilitate movements um to get him home today, um, and with his family. Yesterday during the investigative process we located *** couple of persons of interest. We interviewed those individuals. And after releasing them and after clearing them of being suspects. They face scrutiny. They face threats. We asked the public to be patient with the investigative process. These individuals were not suspects. They were people of interest. We ask that you do not impose into those those people and that investigative process. They don’t deserve that harassment for being subject to that. I’d like to thank all the investigators that are involved in this. They have worked around the clock all day yesterday through the night last night. Investigators from the State Bureau of Investigations, from county, from city agencies, the university, our federal partners with the FBI, the ATF, um, and many others. Those are just *** few of the people that we have involved in this. I’d like to thank all of them for their, for their strong work. Through all that work last night, we were able to make *** few, few breakthroughs. Um, we were able to track the movements of the shooter. Starting at 11:52 a.m. the subject arrived on campus shortly away from campus. We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to *** shooting location. After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building, and fled off of the campus and into *** neighborhood. Our investigators have worked through those neighborhoods, contacting anybody they can with doorbell cameras, witnesses, and thoroughly worked through those communities trying to identify any leads. We do have good video footage of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time. We’re working through some technologies and some ways to identify this individual. If we are unsuccessful, we will reach out to you as the media, and we will push that publicly to help us identify them, but we’re confident in our abilities right now and we would like to move forward in *** manner that keeps everyone safe and moves this process appropriately. Last night I communicated with Erica. The family is devastated. As Commissioner of Public safety. As *** father, as *** husband, I can only imagine what that family is going through. The heinous event that happened yesterday is not Utah. This is not what we’re known for. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen the state come together to help families in mourning, come together as *** community to show what Utah is known for. For *** state of, of character. Of service, of camaraderie, of ***, of *** neighboring field. We will not stand for what happened yesterday. We are exhausting every lead. We have every officer invested in this, every investigator, every local agency. The outpouring of support from the law enforcement community has been astounding. We are, we are investing everything we have into this, and we will catch this individual. Having walked through the crime scene, through the hallways of this school, through the classrooms. I can’t imagine what the people on scene felt as well. *** horrific event where some of them barricaded in classrooms, some of them ran in fear. Can’t over over overstate. The tragedy and the horrific event that yesterday was. And how we will work to, to bring to justice the actions of one individual or any other individuals that assisted in that. Our state has gone through *** lot and we will come out successfully. With that, I’ll turn the time over to Special Agens charge. Good morning. My name is Robert Bows, and I’m the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake Field Office. Following yesterday’s tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk, FBI agents have been working around the clock in coordination with our law enforcement partners. We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and find out why they did it. This morning, I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting. It’s *** high-powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was was recovered in *** wooded area where the shooter had fled. So the FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon. Investigators have also collected footwear impression, *** palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis. I understand there are *** lot of questions about motive. I assure you that all leads, tips, and tips are being fully investigated. As of this morning, we received more than 130 tests. We thank the community for that. The FBI has brought every resource to bear. And we will continue to do so throughout the course of this investigation. The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. It’s to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Any attack on the First Amendment. is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy. That is why we will, we will relentlessly pursue this case and the shooter until we find him. We also continue to grieve with the family and the community. It’s our community. If you have any video or images from the shooting, we ask you to please submit them to our digital media tip website at www.FBI.gov/Utahvalley shooting. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. We truly rely on the public’s help in these types of cases, and no tip is too small or insignificant. Thank you. Um, Commissioner James Matthews from Sky News, can I ask, uh, about the shooter? There’s clearly information, uh, about him or her. You say you’re confident at this stage in terms of tracking down who they are. Can you talk to us about their movements, their demeanor? Do you think it’s *** man? And also, can I ask what were the security arrangements in place? Was that move. Being monitored, it’s *** question many people will have particular problem. So what I’ll release about the suspect is uh Suspect blended in well with, with the college institution. Um, we’re not releasing any details right now and then we, we will soon, um, but right now we’re not, but that, that individual um appears to be of, of college age, um. We are confident in our abilities to track that individual. If we’re unsuccessful in identifying them immediately, we will reach out to the public’s help and the media’s help in pushing those photos. That was *** new development overnight working through the night studying those cameras, so that’s something that’s new and that we’re working through right now. As far as the security, I cannot speak to that. Neither the Department of Public Safety nor the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved in in the planning or security of this event, and that’ll have to be *** question later for other agencies. I wanted to ask you, you mentioned that you found the gun in *** wooded area. Do you believe that the suspect could be hiding in the woods, and is that suspect possibly still in this area? So that’s *** good question and it’s, it’s *** question that goes to the safety of the community, right? Um, no, not in those woods. We walked through those woods and secured it. Um, as to the community, I can tell you that this was *** targeted event. Um, we don’t believe the community is, is at risk. However, we’re exhausting every resource to find him, uh, and. We will, we will do so on the BBC from the images you have, can you see clearly the suspect’s face? You say he was college age, do you believe he was from this university, and how far do you think he may have gone in this time span? So I can’t comment specifically on his face or any details such as that, uh, as it’s continuing to be *** part of the investigation and, and again we’ll release that shortly. Uh, however, um, we’re, we’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he’s gone. And you do? We, we have images of the of the suspects that you’ve been able to recover, do you believe you know who this person is, the person that you’re looking for at this point again, as part of the investigation, we’re not releasing any details fingerprints or DNA. We are, we are exhausting all of our resources to be able to collect those, uh, but that’s again part of the excuse me. You said you found the weapon. Have you been able to trace back the owner of that weapon or purchased it? We are working on that but again part of the of the FBI think that’s impacting. We’ve got complete and total support from everyone from the director on down and it’s been an incredible supportive environment so far. tweets like the one where I can say is that we’re working the investigation the best we have right now.

    What we know about ongoing manhunt for Charlie Kirk shooting suspect

    Updated: 11:02 AM EDT Sep 11, 2025

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    A manhunt continues Thursday as law enforcement officials search for the suspect responsible for fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk at the Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday.Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA when he was shot and killed. Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA.What we know about the shooterPolice are still working to identify the shooter.The suspect targeted Kirk, firing a single shot from a distant rooftop, according to Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason. Authorities said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the college campus.Authorities said the suspect arrived on campus just before noon. After firing the shot, the shooter jumped from the roof, moved through stairwells and ultimately fled from campus into a neighborhood. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area where the shooter fled, according to the FBI. The shooter is still on the run, and it is not clear how far the suspect may have gotten, but the nearby woods have been secured, authorities said.Officials are reviewing grainy security videos of a person in dark clothing. “We do have good video of this individual,” Mason said.Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.” Are there other suspects?A person of interest was taken into custody Wednesday evening after the shooting, but has since been released, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. No charges were filed. Officials have no information indicating a second person was involved, according to Cox. Two other people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    A manhunt continues Thursday as law enforcement officials search for the suspect responsible for fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk at the Utah Valley University campus on Wednesday.

    Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA when he was shot and killed. Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA.

    What we know about the shooter

    Police are still working to identify the shooter.

    The suspect targeted Kirk, firing a single shot from a distant rooftop, according to Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason.

    Authorities said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the college campus.

    Authorities said the suspect arrived on campus just before noon.

    After firing the shot, the shooter jumped from the roof, moved through stairwells and ultimately fled from campus into a neighborhood. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area where the shooter fled, according to the FBI.

    The shooter is still on the run, and it is not clear how far the suspect may have gotten, but the nearby woods have been secured, authorities said.

    Officials are reviewing grainy security videos of a person in dark clothing. “We do have good video of this individual,” Mason said.

    Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.”

    Are there other suspects?

    A person of interest was taken into custody Wednesday evening after the shooting, but has since been released, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. No charges were filed.

    Officials have no information indicating a second person was involved, according to Cox.

    Two other people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, public safety officials said.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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  • Gov. DeSantis, Florida leaders respond to Charlie Kirk shooting

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    Credit: Shutterstock

    Florida’s political leaders urged people to pray following news that conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot to death during a campus event in Utah. 

    Gov. Ron DeSantis, opening an afternoon news conference in Miami, said he and the First Lady Casey DeSantis have known Kirk for more than 10 years.

    “He’s somebody that a lot of people have a great regard for. He’s done a lot,” the Republican governor said, adding that he was praying for Kirk.

    “What happened today was not just an attack on Charlie personally, but, really an attack on the idea that we resolve these things through reason, debate, and elections,” DeSantis said.

    President Donald Trump announced Wednesday afternoon that Kirk had died.

    Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, said in a social media post, “Leftist violence is out of control,” adding that he and his wife were praying for “one of the greatest conservative leaders of our generation.”

    Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott expressed dismay.

    Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody said her office was monitoring the situation and that she was praying “for Charlie Kirk, the students, and this nation.”

    Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna credited Kirk for inspiring her involvement in poilitics.

    Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said in a social media post that he was praying for Kirk and his family, as did Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez.

    “Charlie Kirk is a remarkable and genuine voice for the conservative movement. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family after this senseless shooting,” Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia posted to social media.

    Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson said she was “horrified” and that “Political violence is never the answer and my prayers are with him.”

    “This is a human being — a young father and husband. Charlie challenged us to engage in civil discourse, not violence. Everyone’s hearts should be broken right now for this beautiful family,” Florida Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills) posted to social media.

    U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican candidate for governor, called Kirk “an American Patriot” in a social media post. “He did not deserve this heinous act. NOBODY DOES. Pray for Charlie.”

    Republican candidate for governor and former House Speaker Paul Renner said, “Charlie was taken from us by a sick and deranged act of political violence,” in a social media post.

    “The world stops when we hear of political violence. And it should. Prayers for Charlie Kirk right now, for our nation, and for our politics,” former U.S. Rep. and Democratic candidate for governor David Jolly said in a social media post.

    Tuesday, the Phoenix reported on a survey finding that during the past three years, violence against campus speakers was viewed as increasingly more acceptable.

    The 2025 College Free Speech Rankings produced by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression found that 34% of students nationwide consider it acceptable, at least in rare cases, to use violence to stop a campus speech. In 2024, that number was 32%; in 2023, it was 27%; in 2022, it was 20%. In 2020, 24% of students found violence acceptable at least in rare situations.

    During a Florida Board of Governors meeting Wednesday in Sarasota, Education Commissioner Anastasio Kamoutsas prayed for Kirk.

    “We want to pray God that his soul be resting right now, that his wife, you are there comforting her as well as his children during this incredibly difficult time,” Kamoutsas said and paused for a moment of silence.

    Kirk toured the country appearing on university campuses offering debate with people. He appeared at Florida State University, University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida in February.

    (Screenshot via FIRE’s Free Speech Rankings report)

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    The threat from Florida’s top education official comes after allegations of “despicable” comments being made online by teachers.

    Bear hunting has long been controversial in the state, and this year will be the first time since 2015 that a hunt has been held

    Not all law enforcement agencies are dropping enforcement — at least not yet



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    Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
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  • Why are Kentucky flags at half-staff? Is it for 9/11? President Trump lowers flags for Charlie Kirk

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    Kentucky is lowering its flags to half-staff after conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

    Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the killing as a “political assassination” and said it marks a “tragic day for our nation.”

    Flags are also being lowered to honor those lost during 9/11 and commemorate Patriot Day. Here’s what we know.

    Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear lowers flags to half-staff in honor of 9/11, Charlie Kirk

    Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said that in accordance with a White House proclamation from President Donald Trump, the commonwealth is lowering flags at all state office buildings to half-staff until sunset on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, out of respect for Charlie Kirk.

    Beshear also ordered flags to be lowered on Thursday, Sept. 11, in honor of Patriot Day and the lives lost during 9/11.

    What happened to Charlie Kirk? Has shooter been caught?

    According to USA TODAY, Kirk, 31, was fatally shot the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 10, while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

    The FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety said there is no suspect in custody. Two people had previously been arrested but were released once officials determined neither had ties to the shooting.

    Live updates: Charlie Kirk shot and killed in Utah; authorities hunt for gunman

    Why do flags fly at half-staff?

    U.S. and state flags are lowered to half-staff during the following:

    • The death of a government official, military member or emergency first responder.

    • Memorial Day and other national days of remembrance.

    Charlie Kirk: Barack Obama condemns ‘despicable violence’ in the shooting of Charlie Kirk

    Is it half-mast or half-staff?

    It depends. For ships and naval stations ashore, the flags are flown at half-mast. If you happen to be on dry land, flags on a flagpole are flown at half-staff.

    Reporters with the USA TODAY Network contributed. Reporter John Tufts contributed. Reach Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.

    This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky flags at half-staff: Flags lowered to honor Charlie Kirk, 9/11

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  • Conservative activist Charlie Kirk assassinated at Utah university; shooter still at large

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    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed at a Utah college event in what the governor called a political assassination.Authorities say Kirk was killed with a single shot from a rooftop on Wednesday. Whoever fired the gun then slipped away amid the chaos of screams and students fleeing the Utah Valley University campus. Federal, state and local authorities were still searching for an unidentified shooter early Thursday and working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.”“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.”Two people were detained Wednesday but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, Utah public safety officials said.Authorities did not immediately identify a motive, but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.Kirk was taking questions about gun violenceKirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political youth organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”The questioner followed up: “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.Then a single shot rang out.The shooter, who Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away.Madison Lattin was watching only a few dozen feet from Kirk’s left when she said she heard the bullet hit Kirk.“Blood is falling and dripping down and you’re just like so scared, not just for him but your own safety,” she said.She said she saw people drop to the ground in an eerie silence pierced immediately by cries. Lattin ran while others splashed through decorative pools to get away. Some fell and were trampled in the stampede. People lost their shoes, backpacks, folding chairs and water bottles in the frenzy.When Lattin later learned that Kirk had died, she said she wept, describing him as a role model who had showed her how to be determined and fight for the truth.Trump calls Kirk ‘martyr for truth’Some 3,000 people were in attendance, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety. The university police department had six officers working the event, along with Kirk’s own security detail, authorities said.Trump announced the death on social media and praised the 31-year-old Kirk who was co-founder and CEO of Turning Point as “Great, and even Legendary.” Later Wednesday, he released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” and blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the killing.Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated after the shooting, with officers escorting people to safety. It will be closed until Monday.Meanwhile, armed officers walked around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for any information residents might have on the shooting. Helicopters buzzed overhead.Wednesday’s event, billed as the first stop on Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour,” had generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit was sparking controversy. He wrote, “What’s going on in Utah?”Condemnation from across the political spectrumThe shooting drew swift condemnation across the political aisle as Democratic officials joined Trump, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation, and Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence.“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X.“The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends,” said Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.The shooting appeared poised to become part of a spike of political violence that has touched a range of ideologies and representatives of both major parties. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.Former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at Wednesday’s event, told the Fox News Channel that he didn’t believe Kirk had enough security.“Utah is one of the safest places on the planet,” he said. “And so we just don’t have these types of things.”Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success.But Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers.Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, during the general election campaign.Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences.

    OREM, Utah —

    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed at a Utah college event in what the governor called a political assassination.

    Authorities say Kirk was killed with a single shot from a rooftop on Wednesday. Whoever fired the gun then slipped away amid the chaos of screams and students fleeing the Utah Valley University campus. Federal, state and local authorities were still searching for an unidentified shooter early Thursday and working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.”

    “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.”

    Two people were detained Wednesday but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, Utah public safety officials said.

    Authorities did not immediately identify a motive, but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.

    Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.

    Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images

    Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed.

    Kirk was taking questions about gun violence

    Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political youth organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.

    “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”

    The questioner followed up: “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.

    Then a single shot rang out.

    The shooter, who Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away.

    Madison Lattin was watching only a few dozen feet from Kirk’s left when she said she heard the bullet hit Kirk.

    “Blood is falling and dripping down and you’re just like so scared, not just for him but your own safety,” she said.

    She said she saw people drop to the ground in an eerie silence pierced immediately by cries. Lattin ran while others splashed through decorative pools to get away. Some fell and were trampled in the stampede. People lost their shoes, backpacks, folding chairs and water bottles in the frenzy.

    When Lattin later learned that Kirk had died, she said she wept, describing him as a role model who had showed her how to be determined and fight for the truth.

    Trump calls Kirk ‘martyr for truth’

    Some 3,000 people were in attendance, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety. The university police department had six officers working the event, along with Kirk’s own security detail, authorities said.

    Trump announced the death on social media and praised the 31-year-old Kirk who was co-founder and CEO of Turning Point as “Great, and even Legendary.” Later Wednesday, he released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” and blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the killing.

    Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated after the shooting, with officers escorting people to safety. It will be closed until Monday.

    Meanwhile, armed officers walked around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for any information residents might have on the shooting. Helicopters buzzed overhead.

    Wednesday’s event, billed as the first stop on Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour,” had generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”

    Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit was sparking controversy. He wrote, “What’s going on in Utah?”

    Condemnation from across the political spectrum

    The shooting drew swift condemnation across the political aisle as Democratic officials joined Trump, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation, and Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence.

    “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X.

    “The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends,” said Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.

    The shooting appeared poised to become part of a spike of political violence that has touched a range of ideologies and representatives of both major parties. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.

    Former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at Wednesday’s event, told the Fox News Channel that he didn’t believe Kirk had enough security.

    “Utah is one of the safest places on the planet,” he said. “And so we just don’t have these types of things.”

    Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success.

    But Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers.

    Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, during the general election campaign.

    Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences.

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  • Utah college where Charlie Kirk was killed is a lesser-known school but the state’s largest

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    THE EVENT. LISA. SO WE ARE HEARING FROM MORE PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THAT RALLY TODAY. KCRA 3’S ANAHITA JAFARY IS IN THE NEWSROOM WITH WHAT THEY SAW. YEAH. CURTIS. LISA, FEAR IS THE WORD ECHOING ACROSS UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY. STUDENTS TELL ME THEY NEVER THOUGHT THEY’D EXPERIENCE SOMETHING LIKE THIS AT THEIR SCHOOL. ONE STUDENT TELLS US SHE FELT THE EVENT WASN’T VERY SECURE, SAYING SHE DIDN’T NOTICE MANY SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE. ESPECIALLY WITH HOW PACKED IT WAS NOT ONLY WITH STUDENTS, BUT FAMILIES, LARGE CROWDS, AND EVEN PROTESTERS. ONE COUPLE WE SPOKE WITH SAYS THE LOUD BANG DIDN’T SOUND LIKE A GUNSHOT AT FIRST, BUT ONCE PEOPLE STARTED SHOUTING AND RUNNING, THEY KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HERE’S WHAT THEY REMEMBER FROM THOSE TERRIFYING MOMENTS. WE’RE JUST TALKING FOR A LITTLE BIT, AND WE HEARD A BIG LOUD. WE HEARD A LOUD NOISE. AND AT FIRST I DIDN’T THINK IT WAS A GUNSHOT. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE LIKE A SOMEONE. I DON’T KNOW, SETTING OFF LIKE A FIREWORK OR SOMETHING. I DON’T KNOW. BUT EVERYONE STARTED RUNNING AND WE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY SAW BLOOD. AND SO THAT’S WHEN IT STARTED TO GET SCARY. SO WE WERE RUNNING OUT OF THERE. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A SKETCHY ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO LIKE METAL DETECTORS OR ANYTHING. LIKE PEOPLE COULD JUST WALK IN. AND SO THERE WERE A LOT OF FAMILIES THERE TO. BUT AFTER WE HEARD IT, I WAS SO SCARED. I DIDN’T THINK, I DIDN’T WANT TO THINK IT WAS A GUN OR A SHOOTING. BUT I REALIZED, LIKE, THERE WAS NO WAY IT WASN’T GOING TO BE, THAT. STUDENTS SAY THEY’RE NOW UNEASY ABOUT RETURNING TO CAMPUS AND UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHAT THE UNIVERSITY WILL DECIDE FOR UPCOMING CLASSES. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. I’M ANAHITA JAFARY KCRA THREE NEWS. THANK YOU. AND HERE IS MORE ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK, THE CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST WAS 31 YEARS OLD, A FATHER OF TWO. HE FOUNDED TURNING POINT USA IN 2012. THE NONPROFIT ADVOCATES FOR CONSERVATIVE POLITICS ON HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP CREDITED KIRK AND HIS GROUP FOR GALVANIZING A

    Utah college where Charlie Kirk was killed is a lesser-known school but the state’s largest

    Updated: 10:29 PM PDT Sep 10, 2025

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    The Utah college where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday is the state’s largest public university after years of rapid enrollment growth, but is lesser known than other colleges in the state.Related video above: Utah Valley University students recount terror after the assassination of Charlie KirkUtah Valley University was founded under a different name in 1941 as a vocational school focused on providing war production training. It didn’t begin offering four-year degrees until the 1990s, a move that fueled a fivefold increase in enrollment over the next three decades. It now has nearly 47,000 students, according to the university website.Nearly nine out of 10 students at the school in Orem are from Utah, and 18% of students are 25 years old or older. Business and psychology are among the most popular majors.Utah Valley University’s campus is right off a major highway about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, where the state’s flagship school, the University of Utah, is located.Utah Valley is also just a few miles away from Brigham Young University, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.Related video below: Witness to assassination of Charlie Kirk recounts chaosUtah is one of 14 states that allow some level of concealed carry of firearms on public college and university campuses. FBI Director Kash Patel initially said on social media that a “subject” had been taken into custody, only to later say that the person had been released after being questioned.A person of interest in Wednesday’s shooting was in custody, officials said, but no information has been released about whether that person was legally carrying a weapon.The Utah Valley University Wolverines have several athletic teams, including men’s and women’s basketball teams that play in the Western Athletic Conference.Related video below: Utah officials give first news conference after Charlie Kirk shooting

    SALT LAKE CITY —

    The Utah college where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday is the state’s largest public university after years of rapid enrollment growth, but is lesser known than other colleges in the state.

    Related video above: Utah Valley University students recount terror after the assassination of Charlie Kirk

    Utah Valley University was founded under a different name in 1941 as a vocational school focused on providing war production training. It didn’t begin offering four-year degrees until the 1990s, a move that fueled a fivefold increase in enrollment over the next three decades. It now has nearly 47,000 students, according to the university website.

    Nearly nine out of 10 students at the school in Orem are from Utah, and 18% of students are 25 years old or older. Business and psychology are among the most popular majors.

    Utah Valley University’s campus is right off a major highway about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, where the state’s flagship school, the University of Utah, is located.

    Utah Valley is also just a few miles away from Brigham Young University, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.

    Related video below: Witness to assassination of Charlie Kirk recounts chaos

    Utah is one of 14 states that allow some level of concealed carry of firearms on public college and university campuses. FBI Director Kash Patel initially said on social media that a “subject” had been taken into custody, only to later say that the person had been released after being questioned.

    A person of interest in Wednesday’s shooting was in custody, officials said, but no information has been released about whether that person was legally carrying a weapon.

    The Utah Valley University Wolverines have several athletic teams, including men’s and women’s basketball teams that play in the Western Athletic Conference.

    Related video below: Utah officials give first news conference after Charlie Kirk shooting

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  • What Charlie Kirk told me about his faith and legacy

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    Charlie Kirk asked me the first question when we sat down for an interview three weeks ago: “How are you doing today?”

    The strange thing was, he actually seemed to want to know the answer.

    I expected the confidence he radiated as one of the country’s most visible conservative activists. What surprised me was the warmth.

    Speaking on the set of his show at Turning Point USA’s Phoenix headquarters, Kirk took breaks to joke with his Gen Z employees and laughed about having to ride a horse as a co-host of “Fox & Friends.”

    The interview revealed that his career as a viral sensation on social media had not severed his ties to the spiritual foundations he aimed to promote among the next generation of Republican voters.

    Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and president, answers interview questions on the set of The Charlie Kirk Show at Turning Point headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

    Behind the no-apologies approach to political debates, I found a healthy dose of introspection. Beneath the bold beliefs on hot-button issues, a humble commitment to daily religious practice.

    On Wednesday, an assassin’s bullet cut Kirk’s life short at the age of 31. He was midway through his response to a student’s question at a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

    The horrific murder took Kirk from his wife, Erika, and their two children — a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

    Charlie Kirk UVU_tc_18.JPG

    Law enforcement sets up a barricade after Charlie Kirk was shot during Turning Point USA’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News

    As of Wednesday night, the shooter had not been apprehended.

    Immediately, the tragedy prompted statements of horror and grief from politicians and pundits across the political spectrum.

    Prominent personalities decried the increase of political violence and condemned the use of demonizing rhetoric of political opponents.

    But Kirk’s death, and much of the reaction to it, represented a fundamental misunderstanding.

    His mission, he said, was not to provoke the other side for internet attention. It was to persuade young people to give “traditional” views a moment of their time.

    If he could, Kirk would have chosen to discuss faith and family for our entire interaction. “I could talk about religion all day long,” he said.

    On his wall hung a nearly 300-year-old sermon that had sparked America’s First Great Awakening. On his desk sat a recently played-with stuffed animal and action figure beside his white and gold Trump “47” hat.

    Turning Point profile_KM_2641d.JPG

    Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and president, shows a painting from the early 1800s of the signing of the Declaration of Independence that is hanging on the set of “The Charlie Kirk Show” at Turning Point headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. The painting was gifted to him. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

    What animated Kirk more than my questions about his vision for Turning Point and the future of MAGA, were his digressions about his worship routine as an evangelical Christian.

    Kirk prioritized daily scripture study, a 10-minute “examination of the conscience” before bed and a phone-free Sabbath from nightfall on Friday to sunset on Saturday.

    After penning “The MAGA Doctrine,” “The College Scam” and “Right Wing Revolution,” Kirk told me his next book was going to focus on how his followers could set aside one day out of every seven to honor God.

    Kirk was clear: These kinds of “anchoring tools” are essential for students and celebrities alike to stay moored in a rapidly changing world and degrading political environment.

    “The struggle is that when you’re involved in this kind of warfare and this kind of combat, do you have the spiritual technology to be able to withhold that?” Kirk said.

    For many of Kirk’s admirers, including the 850,000 members of Turning Point’s 2,000 college and high school chapters, his legacy won’t be “owning the libs.”

    Turning Point profile_KM_1533.JPG

    Noah Druecker, Turning Point USA College Field Program data analytics administrator, works at Turning Point headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

    It will be making conservatism cool again — not just by winning elections, but by influencing behaviors.

    Whole sections of his most recent book are devoted to helping young men and women make decisions in their 20s that lead to healthy and happy lifestyles and family relationships.

    As someone who believed politics was downstream from culture, Kirk said a political movement was detrimental if it didn’t create and sustain a community based on the values that enable “human flourishing for all people.”

    The antithesis to this, Kirk insisted, were calls for ideological radicalism and violent uprisings, which he feared were becoming more common themes among his target demographic.

    “My job every single day is actively trying to stop a revolution,” Kirk told me. “This is where you have to try to point them towards ultimate purposes and towards getting back to the church, getting back to faith, getting married, having children.”

    “That is the type of conservatism that I represent, and I’m trying to paint a picture of virtue of lifting people up, not just staying angry.”

    Turning Point profile_KM_3801.JPG

    Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and president, answers interview questions on the set of The Charlie Kirk Show at Turning Point headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

    The metrics that mattered most to Kirk’s sense of success weren’t online — though his content was viewed 15 billion times in 2024 alone.

    His objective was harder to measure: helping young people “towards a more virtuous, deeper existence, or better life, more meaningful life.”

    If this occurred, Kirk said America’s youth would spend less time on social media, his videos would get fewer views, politics would become less extreme, and the country would turn to point in a better direction.

    Kirk was open about his shortcomings. He told me that “almost every day” he fell short of the Christian standard of declaring truth without fear, but with love and grace.

    When asked about his impact, Kirk redirected me to his unique opportunity to listen to students for 100 hours a semester at “Prove Me Wrong Events” and to read every single listener email.

    As he got older, Kirk said his future role as founder of Turning Point USA could change. But one thing would not: his legacy of reaching out directly to America’s youth, he told me, “will never stop.”

    Charlie Kirk Vigil_SGW_01436.jpg

    Members of the community gather at the Capitol in Salt Lake City to honor Charlie Kirk after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University and later died at a local hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

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  • Who is Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley University

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    Who is Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley University

    Press conference we will first hear from Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Be Mason. Then we’ll hear from the FBI special agent in charge, Robert Bowles. Uh, we’ll then hear from Utah Valley University Vice President Val Peterson, who’s been in touch with President Timenez. And then we’ll hear from Governor Cox, turn the time over to Commissioner Mason. Hello everyone I’m Bo Mason, commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety. Today at approximately 12:20 Mountain Standard Time. Political influencer Charlie Kirk was shot in an event at the Utah Valley University. He was taken by private vehicle to Timpanoga’s Hospital where he later passed. The Utah Department of Public Safety will be co-leading this criminal investigation to find this killer along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We’re working in unison with the county sheriff’s office, the local police department, and the university police department, all of which have been very cooperative and fully engaged in this process. Shortly after the shooting, we did have *** suspect in custody, George Zinn. But he was released from custody after we identified that he did not match the shooting suspect, um, and was not an accurate person of interest. However, he has been booked into the uh county jail by Utah Valley University Police Department for obstruction of justice. We do still have an active investigation for the person of interest. This incident occurred with *** large crowd around. There was one shot fired and 11 victim. While the suspect is at large, we believe this was *** targeted attack towards one individual. This is *** tragic moment in our state and in our country. As we heal, we encourage everyone who’s struggling with news of the incident to call 988, our state mental health crisis line. In addition to that, our partners with the FBI will also be discussing other ways we can communicate through the public for tips and other information. Thank you. Good afternoon On behalf of the FBI, we extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. Our thoughts are also with the people who witnessed this traumatic event. We know that you, what you experienced was very difficult. Our thoughts are with you as well. As soon as we heard about the shooting, special agents and personnel from the Salt Lake Field Office. Responded immediately. We have full resources devoted to this investigation, including tactical, operational, investigative, and intelligence. To be clear, the FBI will fully support and co-lead this investigation alongside with our partners. We’re working on setting up *** digital media tip line and as soon as it’s established, we’ll get that information out to everyone. I know there’s *** lot of questions. This is very much an active case and this investigation is in its early stages. We are following all the leads and all the evidence. If anyone has any information, please report it to the FBI or local law enforcement. Thank you. On behalf of President Tenez, who we’ve been communicating with and she’s on her way back right now, I, um, say that on behalf of Utah Valley University we are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk. We express our sincere condolences to the Kirk family. We grieve with our students, faculty and staff who bore witness to this unspeakable tragedy. He was invited by the student group Turning Point USA to speak on our campus. We firmly believe that UVU is *** place to share ideas and to debate openly and respectfully. Any attempt to infringe on those rights has no place here. We do not condone any form of violence at UVU and seek to make our campus *** safe place for all. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us on this uh on this dark and and tragic occasion. I wanna thank our law enforcement officers who are leading this investigation, starting with Chief Long, uh, and, and his, uh, his response here with the UVU police department. Um, we’re grateful for your leadership and, uh, and your team, and again to the, the speakers that you’ve just heard from who are are co-leading this investigation. I also want to uh recognize Sheriff Mike Smith who has been an invaluable partner as uh as this investigation moves forward. I’ve been in touch with uh with with President Trump, with FBI Director Cash Patel, um, we are completely aligned with our state and federal partners as uh as we work through this case now. This is *** dark day for our state. It’s *** tragic day for our nation. I want to be very clear that this is *** political assassination. We are. Celebrating 250 years of the founding of this great nation. That founding document, the Declaration of Independence. That this this great experiment on which we embarked together 250 years ago that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. The first one of those is life. And today, *** life was taken. Charlie Kirk was first and foremost. *** husband and *** dad to two young children. He was also Very much politically involved and that’s why he was here on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate. To shape ideas. And to persuade people. Historically Our university campuses in this nation and here in the state of Utah have been the place where truth and ideas are formulated and debated. And that’s what he does. He comes on college campuses and he debates. That is foundational to the formation of our country. To our most basic constitutional rights. And when someone takes the life of *** person. Because of their ideas or their ideals. Then that very constitutional foundation is threatened. Now we have *** person of interest in custody. The investigation is ongoing. But I want to make it crystal clear right now to whoever did this. We will find you. We will try you And we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law. And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah. Our nation is broken. We’ve had Political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an attempted assassination. On *** presidential candidate and former president of the United States and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can unite us as *** country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken. Nothing I can say can bring back Charlie Kirk. Our hearts are broken. We mourn. With his wife, his children, his family, his friends, we mourn as *** nation. If anyone in the sound of my voice. Celebrated even *** little bit at the news of this shooting. I would beg you To look in the mirror. And to see if you can find *** better angel in there somewhere. I don’t care what his politics are. I care that he was an American. We desperately need our country. We desperately need leaders in our country, but more than the leaders we just need every single person in this country. To think about where we are and where we want to be. To ask ourselves, is this, is this it? Is this what 250 years has wrought on us? I pray that that’s not the case. I pray that those who hated. What Charlie Cook stood for. We put down their social media and their pens. And pray for his family. And that all of us. All of us will try to find *** way to stop hating our fellow Americans. With that we’re happy to take *** few questions. The FBI director is posting that *** that *** suspect is in custody. I would just like clarification. Do you or do you not have *** suspected shooter? We have *** person of interest in custody that is being interviewed right now. We do not that is not George Zim. That is correct. Are you still searching or looking for another shooter or anybody else related to this? Yes, we are actively looking for anyone and everyone who has any any possible information relating to the shooting. Can you tell us details about the suspect being taken into custody, where, you know, how long ago. We, we cannot at this point, but we will get you that information when when we can. Is there believed to be *** second individual involved in the shooting? At this point there is no information that would lead us to believe that there is *** second person involved. Can you guys talk. Um, we. Do you want to talk about what we know there? Yeah. The only information we have on on the suspect, uh, the possible shooter is taken from closed circuit TV here on campus. Um, we do have that we’re, we’re analyzing it, um, but it is security camera footage so you can, you can, uh, kind of guess what the, what the quality of that is, um, but we do know, uh, dressed in, in all, all dark clothing, uh, but we don’t have *** much better description other than that. The shot came from here on campus, um, from, uh, *** location, um. And *** Uh, potentially from *** roof, yes, and longer distance shot from *** roof. So to clarify with the security camera footage you have and the personal interest that’s in custody, do those, does that match up? That’s what we’re trying to decipher right now. Did the FBI or DHS have anything on the threat for this morning? I can’t speak I’ll just say that the investigation is ongoing and as soon as we have further information, we will be sure to release it. Any indications of foreign intelligence involvement? As of now I can’t comment on any of that. Can you talk *** little about the security of the event itself, but who was there security wise and, and what happens on these kind of events. So my name is Jeff Long. I’m the police chief here at UVU, and I’ll tell you right now we’re devastated. We’re *** small, uh, small police department. Uh, we have *** very large campus. We have over 40,000 students, and we love our students. Uh, we love our visitors and we’re, we’re devastated by what happened today. This is the police chief’s nightmare. Um, I’m, I’m very saddened for the Kirk family. um, I know his, uh. His wife and parents, uh, found out about this, you know, obviously he’s away from home. He’s here in Utah they find out, uh, by police officer, uh, that that visits their home. That’s tragic. Nobody wants that, but I can tell you about our venue today. This was an open venue. This is outside. Uh, we did have, um, 6 officers working in that event. Um, we had, uh, probably over 3000 people that were in attendance, um, it sat down in kind of *** bowl area here on the central campus. We have *** waterfall area. And so he was uh kind of in *** *** lower area, uh, surrounded by uh by buildings, um, you know, we, we had, um, uh, some plain clothes police officers that were in the crowd as well, you know, we trained for these things and and you think you, you, you have things covered and um. You know, these things, um, you, you know, unfortunately they happen. You try to get, you try to get your bases covered and unfortunately today we didn’t and because of that we had this tragic incident, so we did have officers there. We had, uh, Charlie Kirk’s team, um, he has *** security team that travels with him and they were here with him when, when he, when he was shot. I’m sorry, the recovered. Um, I, at this point, I, I, I can’t disclose that. I was shot. There was *** question being asked about mass shooting. Was that person apprehended? And do you know who asked that question? Say the question again. I don’t know if I understand what you’re saying. When Charlie Kirk was shot, he was answering *** question about mass shootings specifically. Was that person apprehended and do you know who asked that question? Uh, I do not, we do not have that at this moment. ladies and gentlemen, we have time for just one more question, so thank you. Yeah, um, *** question for the chief as well, um, was it your team or Kirk’s team or *** combination of both that kind of set the security protocol for the event? So we worked together, you know, he has his team and and they do this all over the country we all know that this is not uncommon for them uh they’re very comfortable on campuses and I was coordinating with his lead security guy and, um, uh, so yeah, we were working together. Was this *** sharpshooter type shot? Ladies and gentlemen, that’s that’s, um, those are all the questions that will be answered today um again, thank you for for covering this. uh, we will be, uh, we’ll be updating you as soon as we have additional information through uh through normal channels working with law enforcement again our. Our deepest condolences uh to the uh to the Kirk family and uh and to the students who were who were there today um and uh I would, I would just ask everyone everywhere to please pray for their family and uh and to pray for our country and we need it now more than ever thank you.

    Who is Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley University

    Updated: 12:10 AM EDT Sep 11, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Donald Trump ally, was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Trump confirmed.Video above: Utah officials give first news conference after Charlie Kirk shootingKirk is a well-known political activist who helped found conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. He has millions of followers on social media and is considered one of the most popular conservative media personalities. A backer of Trump during the president’s initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe.Turning Point’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump’s 2024 campaign, trying to energize disaffected conservatives who rarely vote. Trump won Arizona, Turning Point’s home state, by five percentage points after narrowly losing it in 2020. The group is known for its flamboyant events that often feature strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims more than 250,000 student members.Kirk is known for attending events at high schools and colleges across the country while advocating for conservative views.Because of this, Kirk is seen by some as a controversial figure, as he tends to argue with people who do not agree with his points of view. He often records these arguments and posts them to social media for people to discuss. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Donald Trump ally, was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Trump confirmed.

    Video above: Utah officials give first news conference after Charlie Kirk shooting

    Kirk is a well-known political activist who helped found conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. He has millions of followers on social media and is considered one of the most popular conservative media personalities.

    A backer of Trump during the president’s initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe.

    Turning Point’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump’s 2024 campaign, trying to energize disaffected conservatives who rarely vote. Trump won Arizona, Turning Point’s home state, by five percentage points after narrowly losing it in 2020. The group is known for its flamboyant events that often feature strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims more than 250,000 student members.

    Kirk is known for attending events at high schools and colleges across the country while advocating for conservative views.

    Because of this, Kirk is seen by some as a controversial figure, as he tends to argue with people who do not agree with his points of view. He often records these arguments and posts them to social media for people to discuss.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Local leaders, students react after political activist Charlie Kirk is killed at college in Utah

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    The assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk is bringing condemnation from both sides of the aisle in the Pittsburgh area.

    Kirk was hosting an outdoor event at Utah Valley University when he was shot in the neck. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

    PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Conservative activist Charlie Kirk is shot and killed while speaking at a Utah college

    Several students at Carnegie Mellon University gathered to paint the Fence in tribute to Kirk.

    “When we found out he had passed away…it was a very hard moment for us. We’re all big supporters. My mom called me on the phone and was crying with me,” said Emma Gladstein with College Republicans.

    President of CMU College Republicans Anthony Cacciato said he worries people will not be able to express themselves after an event like this.

    “For anyone expressing their opinions on a college campus to be met with violence is a scary thought,” Cacciato said.

    Politicians from both sides of the aisle sent support for Kirk and his family.

    Senator Dave McCormick released a statement saying:

    Senator John Fetterman released a statement saying:

    Governor Josh Shapiro issued a statement saying:

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  • Who is Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley University

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    Who is Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley University

    Press conference we will first hear from Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Be Mason. Then we’ll hear from the FBI special agent in charge, Robert Bowles. Uh, we’ll then hear from Utah Valley University Vice President Val Peterson, who’s been in touch with President Timenez. And then we’ll hear from Governor Cox, turn the time over to Commissioner Mason. Hello everyone I’m Bo Mason, commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety. Today at approximately 12:20 Mountain Standard Time. Political influencer Charlie Kirk was shot in an event at the Utah Valley University. He was taken by private vehicle to Timpanoga’s Hospital where he later passed. The Utah Department of Public Safety will be co-leading this criminal investigation to find this killer along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We’re working in unison with the county sheriff’s office, the local police department, and the university police department, all of which have been very cooperative and fully engaged in this process. Shortly after the shooting, we did have *** suspect in custody, George Zinn. But he was released from custody after we identified that he did not match the shooting suspect, um, and was not an accurate person of interest. However, he has been booked into the uh county jail by Utah Valley University Police Department for obstruction of justice. We do still have an active investigation for the person of interest. This incident occurred with *** large crowd around. There was one shot fired and 11 victim. While the suspect is at large, we believe this was *** targeted attack towards one individual. This is *** tragic moment in our state and in our country. As we heal, we encourage everyone who’s struggling with news of the incident to call 988, our state mental health crisis line. In addition to that, our partners with the FBI will also be discussing other ways we can communicate through the public for tips and other information. Thank you. Good afternoon On behalf of the FBI, we extend our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. Our thoughts are also with the people who witnessed this traumatic event. We know that you, what you experienced was very difficult. Our thoughts are with you as well. As soon as we heard about the shooting, special agents and personnel from the Salt Lake Field Office. Responded immediately. We have full resources devoted to this investigation, including tactical, operational, investigative, and intelligence. To be clear, the FBI will fully support and co-lead this investigation alongside with our partners. We’re working on setting up *** digital media tip line and as soon as it’s established, we’ll get that information out to everyone. I know there’s *** lot of questions. This is very much an active case and this investigation is in its early stages. We are following all the leads and all the evidence. If anyone has any information, please report it to the FBI or local law enforcement. Thank you. On behalf of President Tenez, who we’ve been communicating with and she’s on her way back right now, I, um, say that on behalf of Utah Valley University we are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk. We express our sincere condolences to the Kirk family. We grieve with our students, faculty and staff who bore witness to this unspeakable tragedy. He was invited by the student group Turning Point USA to speak on our campus. We firmly believe that UVU is *** place to share ideas and to debate openly and respectfully. Any attempt to infringe on those rights has no place here. We do not condone any form of violence at UVU and seek to make our campus *** safe place for all. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us on this uh on this dark and and tragic occasion. I wanna thank our law enforcement officers who are leading this investigation, starting with Chief Long, uh, and, and his, uh, his response here with the UVU police department. Um, we’re grateful for your leadership and, uh, and your team, and again to the, the speakers that you’ve just heard from who are are co-leading this investigation. I also want to uh recognize Sheriff Mike Smith who has been an invaluable partner as uh as this investigation moves forward. I’ve been in touch with uh with with President Trump, with FBI Director Cash Patel, um, we are completely aligned with our state and federal partners as uh as we work through this case now. This is *** dark day for our state. It’s *** tragic day for our nation. I want to be very clear that this is *** political assassination. We are. Celebrating 250 years of the founding of this great nation. That founding document, the Declaration of Independence. That this this great experiment on which we embarked together 250 years ago that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. The first one of those is life. And today, *** life was taken. Charlie Kirk was first and foremost. *** husband and *** dad to two young children. He was also Very much politically involved and that’s why he was here on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate. To shape ideas. And to persuade people. Historically Our university campuses in this nation and here in the state of Utah have been the place where truth and ideas are formulated and debated. And that’s what he does. He comes on college campuses and he debates. That is foundational to the formation of our country. To our most basic constitutional rights. And when someone takes the life of *** person. Because of their ideas or their ideals. Then that very constitutional foundation is threatened. Now we have *** person of interest in custody. The investigation is ongoing. But I want to make it crystal clear right now to whoever did this. We will find you. We will try you And we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law. And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah. Our nation is broken. We’ve had Political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an attempted assassination. On *** presidential candidate and former president of the United States and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can unite us as *** country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken. Nothing I can say can bring back Charlie Kirk. Our hearts are broken. We mourn. With his wife, his children, his family, his friends, we mourn as *** nation. If anyone in the sound of my voice. Celebrated even *** little bit at the news of this shooting. I would beg you To look in the mirror. And to see if you can find *** better angel in there somewhere. I don’t care what his politics are. I care that he was an American. We desperately need our country. We desperately need leaders in our country, but more than the leaders we just need every single person in this country. To think about where we are and where we want to be. To ask ourselves, is this, is this it? Is this what 250 years has wrought on us? I pray that that’s not the case. I pray that those who hated. What Charlie Cook stood for. We put down their social media and their pens. And pray for his family. And that all of us. All of us will try to find *** way to stop hating our fellow Americans. With that we’re happy to take *** few questions. The FBI director is posting that *** that *** suspect is in custody. I would just like clarification. Do you or do you not have *** suspected shooter? We have *** person of interest in custody that is being interviewed right now. We do not that is not George Zim. That is correct. Are you still searching or looking for another shooter or anybody else related to this? Yes, we are actively looking for anyone and everyone who has any any possible information relating to the shooting. Can you tell us details about the suspect being taken into custody, where, you know, how long ago. We, we cannot at this point, but we will get you that information when when we can. Is there believed to be *** second individual involved in the shooting? At this point there is no information that would lead us to believe that there is *** second person involved. Can you guys talk. Um, we. Do you want to talk about what we know there? Yeah. The only information we have on on the suspect, uh, the possible shooter is taken from closed circuit TV here on campus. Um, we do have that we’re, we’re analyzing it, um, but it is security camera footage so you can, you can, uh, kind of guess what the, what the quality of that is, um, but we do know, uh, dressed in, in all, all dark clothing, uh, but we don’t have *** much better description other than that. The shot came from here on campus, um, from, uh, *** location, um. And *** Uh, potentially from *** roof, yes, and longer distance shot from *** roof. So to clarify with the security camera footage you have and the personal interest that’s in custody, do those, does that match up? That’s what we’re trying to decipher right now. Did the FBI or DHS have anything on the threat for this morning? I can’t speak I’ll just say that the investigation is ongoing and as soon as we have further information, we will be sure to release it. Any indications of foreign intelligence involvement? As of now I can’t comment on any of that. Can you talk *** little about the security of the event itself, but who was there security wise and, and what happens on these kind of events. So my name is Jeff Long. I’m the police chief here at UVU, and I’ll tell you right now we’re devastated. We’re *** small, uh, small police department. Uh, we have *** very large campus. We have over 40,000 students, and we love our students. Uh, we love our visitors and we’re, we’re devastated by what happened today. This is the police chief’s nightmare. Um, I’m, I’m very saddened for the Kirk family. um, I know his, uh. His wife and parents, uh, found out about this, you know, obviously he’s away from home. He’s here in Utah they find out, uh, by police officer, uh, that that visits their home. That’s tragic. Nobody wants that, but I can tell you about our venue today. This was an open venue. This is outside. Uh, we did have, um, 6 officers working in that event. Um, we had, uh, probably over 3000 people that were in attendance, um, it sat down in kind of *** bowl area here on the central campus. We have *** waterfall area. And so he was uh kind of in *** *** lower area, uh, surrounded by uh by buildings, um, you know, we, we had, um, uh, some plain clothes police officers that were in the crowd as well, you know, we trained for these things and and you think you, you, you have things covered and um. You know, these things, um, you, you know, unfortunately they happen. You try to get, you try to get your bases covered and unfortunately today we didn’t and because of that we had this tragic incident, so we did have officers there. We had, uh, Charlie Kirk’s team, um, he has *** security team that travels with him and they were here with him when, when he, when he was shot. I’m sorry, the recovered. Um, I, at this point, I, I, I can’t disclose that. I was shot. There was *** question being asked about mass shooting. Was that person apprehended? And do you know who asked that question? Say the question again. I don’t know if I understand what you’re saying. When Charlie Kirk was shot, he was answering *** question about mass shootings specifically. Was that person apprehended and do you know who asked that question? Uh, I do not, we do not have that at this moment. ladies and gentlemen, we have time for just one more question, so thank you. Yeah, um, *** question for the chief as well, um, was it your team or Kirk’s team or *** combination of both that kind of set the security protocol for the event? So we worked together, you know, he has his team and and they do this all over the country we all know that this is not uncommon for them uh they’re very comfortable on campuses and I was coordinating with his lead security guy and, um, uh, so yeah, we were working together. Was this *** sharpshooter type shot? Ladies and gentlemen, that’s that’s, um, those are all the questions that will be answered today um again, thank you for for covering this. uh, we will be, uh, we’ll be updating you as soon as we have additional information through uh through normal channels working with law enforcement again our. Our deepest condolences uh to the uh to the Kirk family and uh and to the students who were who were there today um and uh I would, I would just ask everyone everywhere to please pray for their family and uh and to pray for our country and we need it now more than ever thank you.

    Who is Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley University

    Updated: 6:46 PM PDT Sep 10, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Donald Trump ally, was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Trump confirmed.Video above: Utah officials give first news conference after Charlie Kirk shootingKirk is a well-known political activist who helped found conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. He has millions of followers on social media and is considered one of the most popular conservative media personalities. A backer of Trump during the president’s initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe.Turning Point’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump’s 2024 campaign, trying to energize disaffected conservatives who rarely vote. Trump won Arizona, Turning Point’s home state, by five percentage points after narrowly losing it in 2020. The group is known for its flamboyant events that often feature strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims more than 250,000 student members.Kirk is known for attending events at high schools and colleges across the country while advocating for conservative views.Because of this, Kirk is seen by some as a controversial figure, as he tends to argue with people who do not agree with his points of view. He often records these arguments and posts them to social media for people to discuss. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Donald Trump ally, was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Trump confirmed.

    Video above: Utah officials give first news conference after Charlie Kirk shooting

    Kirk is a well-known political activist who helped found conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. He has millions of followers on social media and is considered one of the most popular conservative media personalities.

    A backer of Trump during the president’s initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe.

    Turning Point’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump’s 2024 campaign, trying to energize disaffected conservatives who rarely vote. Trump won Arizona, Turning Point’s home state, by five percentage points after narrowly losing it in 2020. The group is known for its flamboyant events that often feature strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims more than 250,000 student members.

    Kirk is known for attending events at high schools and colleges across the country while advocating for conservative views.

    Because of this, Kirk is seen by some as a controversial figure, as he tends to argue with people who do not agree with his points of view. He often records these arguments and posts them to social media for people to discuss.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Person of interest in Charlie Kirk shooting released from custody, FBI director says

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    Person of interest in Charlie Kirk shooting released from custody, FBI director says – CBS News










































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    FBI Director Kash Patel says a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk has been released from custody. CBS News’ Anna Schecter has more.

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  • Charlie Kirk, influential voice for young conservatives, killed at 31

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    Washington — Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political activist and influential voice for young conservatives in the digital age, died Wednesday after he was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31.

    Kirk, a father of two, was shot as he was speaking to students at an event for Turning Point USA, an organization for young conservatives he co-founded in 2012.

    “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” President Trump wrote. “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.”

    According to video shared on social media, an audience member asked Kirk about mass shootings in the U.S. before Kirk was hit in the neck and slumped in his chair. Two eyewitnesses told CBS News a large volume of blood poured from his neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

    Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference Wednesday evening that a “person of interest” was in custody, but did not elaborate.

    Mr. Trump, who survived an assassination attempt at an outdoor political event last year, told the New York Post, “He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person.” Democrats and Republicans alike expressed their outrage, prayers and concern on social media upon news of the shooting.

    Charlie Kirk speaks on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson on Oct. 17, 2024. / Credit: OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images

    Kirk, a close Trump ally, was the key to energizing and mobilizing the youth vote for the president throughout his campaigns. He was critical to the Trump ground game effort for voter turnout and built out significant parts of the Trump campaign in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Kirk stood by the president during what could be described as his political winter, soon after he announced his second presidential campaign, when skeptics doubted he could become president again.

    Kirk also made it his mission to engage more young people in politics, and register them to vote. Kirk was also a close friend of the president’s son, Donald Trump, Jr.

    Kirk spoke at Mr. Trump’s inauguration parade in January, and the president appointed him to the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors in March.

    “For those of you that have always had the president’s back throughout these last couple of years, when we were at our darkest moment four years ago, this is your victory,” Kirk said as he opened his speech at Mr. Trump’s inaugural parade.

    But Kirk’s politics weren’t without controversy. Kirk pushed false claims about voter fraud after Mr. Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, stoked skepticism about the COVID-19 pandemic and spread anti-trans rhetoric. He also amplified the “Great Replacement” conspiracy, which is based on the belief that there’s a plot to replace White people with minorities.

    After casting doubt early on about mail-in voting, Kirk pushed GOP voters to embrace the methods in 2024.

    He pointed to Kari Lake’s loss in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race as a moment where he realized that Republicans must embrace “Election Month,” as he put it, not just Election Day.

    “It triggered a lot of introspection on our team. And I was like, why are we not embracing, you know, this sort of methodology, we might not love it, but losing feels a lot worse,” Kirk said. “I think that the movement is looking at it the same.”

    Born Oct. 14, 1993, Kirk grew up in the Chicago suburbs and briefly attended community college, but dropped out to pursue political activism full time.

    Kirk was the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” a daily conservative talk radio show and amassed millions of followers on social media.

    Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children.

    NIH whistleblower says she was ousted after clashing with Trump officials on vaccines

    Charlie Kirk’s death comes almost a year after Trump assassination attempt in Florida

    Charlie Kirk shooting witness says he worried about security during event

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  • ‘Disgusting, vile’: Leaders across the political spectrum react to fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk

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    Politicians and leaders are reacting to the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, is the latest victim of political violence across the United States.”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,” President Donald Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social. “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!”On X, Vice President JD Vance posted a screenshot of Trump’s post and added, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”Former President Barack Obama responded on X as well, saying, “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on X that he was being briefed. He later posted a tribute to Kirk, saying, “This murder was a cowardly act of violence, an attack on champions of freedom like Charlie, the students who gathered for civil debate, and all Americans who peacefully strive to save our nation.””The terrorists will not win. Charlie will,” he added.During a press conference at 6:30 p.m., he called it a “political assassination,” saying it is a “tragic day for our nation.”In Washington, Utah Sen. John Curtis told reporters, “This is my backyard. This is very, very personal because of that, and leaves a scar.”Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on social media, “Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era.” He called Kirk a “relentless and courageous crusader for free speech.”Democratic politicians reactAfter the shooting but before Kirk’s death was confirmed, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”On the same platform, Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote that political violence “should never become the norm.” Also among the leaders reacting was Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker whose husband was seriously injured at their California home in 2022 by a man wielding a hammer, who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.Pelosi, a Democrat, posted that “the horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.”Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and potential national candidate, has firsthand experience with political violence. He and his family were evacuated from the governor’s mansion earlier this year after a man broke into the building and set a fire that caused significant damage.“We must speak with moral clarity,” Shapiro wrote on X. “The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.”Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wrote on X, “Violence has no place in our politics — ever. What happened to Charlie Kirk is horrific and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. The growth of political violence in our country must be stopped.”State politicians across the country have condemned the killing and the rise of political violence.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Politicians and leaders are reacting to the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

    Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, is the latest victim of political violence across the United States.

    “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,” President Donald Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social. “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!”

    On X, Vice President JD Vance posted a screenshot of Trump’s post and added, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”

    Former President Barack Obama responded on X as well, saying, “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”

    Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on X that he was being briefed. He later posted a tribute to Kirk, saying, “This murder was a cowardly act of violence, an attack on champions of freedom like Charlie, the students who gathered for civil debate, and all Americans who peacefully strive to save our nation.”

    “The terrorists will not win. Charlie will,” he added.

    During a press conference at 6:30 p.m., he called it a “political assassination,” saying it is a “tragic day for our nation.”

    In Washington, Utah Sen. John Curtis told reporters, “This is my backyard. This is very, very personal because of that, and leaves a scar.”

    Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on social media, “Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era.” He called Kirk a “relentless and courageous crusader for free speech.”

    Democratic politicians react

    After the shooting but before Kirk’s death was confirmed, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

    On the same platform, Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote that political violence “should never become the norm.”

    Also among the leaders reacting was Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker whose husband was seriously injured at their California home in 2022 by a man wielding a hammer, who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.

    Pelosi, a Democrat, posted that “the horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.”

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and potential national candidate, has firsthand experience with political violence. He and his family were evacuated from the governor’s mansion earlier this year after a man broke into the building and set a fire that caused significant damage.

    “We must speak with moral clarity,” Shapiro wrote on X. “The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.”

    Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wrote on X, “Violence has no place in our politics — ever. What happened to Charlie Kirk is horrific and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. The growth of political violence in our country must be stopped.”

    State politicians across the country have condemned the killing and the rise of political violence.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Trump ally Charlie Kirk fatally shot in Utah as ‘person of interest’ in custody

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    Charlie Kirk, the powerful rightwing activist, Trump ally and executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was killed on Wednesday afternoon, shot in the neck while speaking at a university campus event in Utah.

    In video posts circulating on social media, Kirk, 31, can be seen being struck by a bullet while speaking and sitting beneath a tent in the Utah Valley University (UVU) courtyard in Orem, Utah. Kirk was there as part of The American Comeback Tour, which is hosted by the TPUSA chapter at UVU. Video footage also shows students on campus running away from the sound of gunfire.

    In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, the university said the campus was closed.

    After initial reports that a suspect had been apprehended, this turned out not to be the case shortly afterwards and then, around four hours after the incident, the FBI director, Kash Patel, posted on X that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.”

    At a press conference shortly after, Utah governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, added that law enforcement had “a person of interest” in custody who was being interviewed. The authorities did not reveal a name.

    Utah director the department of public safety, Beau Mason, said at the press conference that there were security camera images of the suspect and that the shooter was dressed in dark clothing and had potentially fired from a roof.

    A spokesperson for Utah Valley University earlier told the New York Times that Kirk was struck by a suspect who had fired from a building about 200 yards away.

    Interactive

    “The incident is currently being investigated by four agencies: Orem police, UVU police, FBI and Utah department of public safety,” Treanor added.

    In an internal email to staff members that was posted online on Wednesday evening, the Turning Point USA COO, Justin Streiff, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that earlier this afternoon Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven … However, in the meantime, Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action will be closed for business until Monday, the 15th – likely longer.”

    Writing on Truth Social on Wednesday evening, Donald Trump mourned Kirk’s death, saying: “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. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

    The president echoed similar sentiments to ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl. Trump told Karl: “It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen. He was a great guy … He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him.”

    Eyewitnesses told the Guardian that Kirk was being questioned about mass shootings when he was shot in the neck.

    Related: ‘A lot of blood’: local reporters describe moment when Charlie Kirk was shot

    A Deseret News reporter, Emma Pitts, who was at the event, said that Kirk was on his second question and that it was “regarding mass shootings”.

    “The person he was debating had asked about if he knew how many mass shootings had involved a transgender shooter to which Kirk responded,” Pitts said. Then, “he asked how many mass shootings had [there] been in the last couple of years” and “before he could even answer, we heard a gunshot and we just saw Charlie Kirk’s neck turn to the side and it appeared that he had been shot in the neck”.

    “There was blood, immediately a lot of blood,” Pitts said. “After the shots were fired, everyone immediately took to the ground … we were just trying to stay hidden.”

    Then, Pitts said, “everyone started running away”.

    Videos circulating on social media showed an attender asking Kirk: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” In response, Kirk says: “Too many,” as the crowd clapped.

    In a follow-up question, the attender asks: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk replies: “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Seconds later, Kirk could be seen struck in the neck as he falls back in his chair.

    Eva Terry, another Deseret News reporter who was at the event, said the direction of the shot looked like it “came from the middle to the right side of the audience”.

    Describing the suspect, Terry said that he looked like “an older gentleman, probably in his late 50s to 60s, wearing what looks like a worker’s uniform”.

    In response to Kirk’s death, the Utah governor, Spencer Cox, wrote on X: “I just got off the phone with President Trump. Working with the FBI and Utah law enforcement, we will bring to justice the individual responsible for this tragedy. Abby and I are heartbroken. We are praying for Charlie’s wife, daughter, and son.”

    The US vice-president, JD Vance, also tweeted, saying: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.”

    Utah senator Mike Lee wrote: “Charlie Kirk was an American patriot … This murder was a cowardly act of violence, an attack on champions of freedom like Charlie, the students who gathered for civil debate, and all Americans who peacefully strive to save our nation. The terrorists will not win. Charlie will. Please join me in praying for his wife Erika and their children. May justice be swift.”

    Shortly before gunfire rang out, Kirk tweeted: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”

    On Wednesday evening, Trump released a statement ordering the the American flag to be flown at half-mast until sunset, 14 September.

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  • Charlie Kirk dead: What we know about Utah shooting

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    Conservative activist Charlie Kirk died Sept. 10 from a gunshot wound sustained at a Utah Valley University event. He was 31.

    FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X in the evening on Sept. 10, saying a suspect was in custody.

    Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a conservative organization focused on young people, and was close to President Donald Trump and his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. His organization says it sponsors student groups on about 1,800 college and high school campuses across the country.

    “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 Sept. 10 on Truth Social. “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!”

    CNN reported that Turning Point USA announced Kirk’s death in a note to employees.

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    “It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” the note read.

    Kirk was in Orem, Utah, for his “The American Comeback Tour.” At the time of the shooting, he was speaking to a member of the audience for his “Prove Me Wrong” segment, seated under a tent and facing the outdoor crowd. 

    As news coverage unfolded, some witnesses and social media users said Kirk was answering a question about violence by transgender people the moment he was shot. 

    Here’s what happened, based on video circulating of the event:

    Questioner: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?”

    Kirk: “Too many.”

    (Applause.)

    Questioner: “Five is a lot, right? I’m gonna give you, I’m gonna give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”

    Kirk: “Counting or not counting gang violence?”

    (Gunshot)

    Some people took that information and speculated about the shooter’s gender identity, although no suspect had been apprehended, or even named, in the immediate aftermath.

    PolitiFact covered whether incidents of mass shootings committed by trans people are statistically significant following rhetoric about the shooter in the Aug. 27 Annunciation Catholic School Mass in Minneapolis. 

    Kirk was a top commentator on social media and conservative media, authoring books, publishing a daily podcast and amassing almost 30 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube. His stature garnered profiles in The New York Times Magazine in February and The Deseret News just days before he was killed. 

    PolitiFact fact-checked 17 of Kirk’s comments on the Truth-O-Meter going back to 2019, covering his skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines, climate change, Ivy League universities and election integrity. He talked about home ownership in a 2024 Republican National Convention speech.

    Kirk started Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18 years old. Its website describes TPUSA as a “a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.” 

    The nonprofit collected $85 million in revenue in 2024, up from $443,859 a decade prior, according to ProPublica. Kirk also heads a political advocacy nonprofit, Turning Point Action, that brought in over $10 million in 2023. 

    Kirk was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago but relocated to Arizona in 2018. TPUSA is also headquartered in Phoenix.

    We will continue to cover this breaking story. Send ideas for statements to examine to [email protected].

    PolitiFact staffers Maria Ramirez Uribe, Caryn Baird, Loreben Tuquero and Ellen Hine contributed to this report.

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  • Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and Trump ally, dies after shooting at Utah campus event

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    (CNN) — Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed Wednesday after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He was 31.

    As Trump remade the Republican Party, Kirk embodied the party’s newfound populist conservatism in the social media age. Trump has credited Kirk with galvanizing and mobilizing the youth vote for him.

    “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” the president wrote. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”

    Kirk, himself a college dropout, was influential with college students and young voters — not only in helping to elect Trump to the presidency but also to inspire a new movement of conservative activists. His involvement began in the wake of the tea party movement and grew with Trump’s ascendance.

    Having co-founded Turning Point in 2012 at the age of 18, Kirk was a prominent supporter of Trump who courted young voters and used his network of nonprofits to seek to turn out voters on campuses and churches for Trump in 2024.

    Kirk frequently traveled to college campuses, speaking and taking questions from audience members in exchanges that often led to viral videos. Kirk’s appearance at Utah Valley University on Wednesday was the first of a 14-city fall “American Comeback Tour.”

    Kirk was answering a question at the event when a single pop was heard. Video taken by attendees shows the crowd screaming as Kirk recoiled in his seat and appeared to reach for his neck.

    The scene after Charlie Kirk was shot on Wednesday. Credit: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Among those in attendance was former US Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican. He said on Fox News he was at the event with his wife, daughter and son-in-law. He said Kirk “came out, he was throwing hats, riling up the crowd,” and then started taking questions before the shot rang out.

    “I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards into his left,” he said.

    The American Comeback Tour had Kirk’s signature “Prove Me Wrong Table,” where he would urge those who disagreed with him to debate an issue.

    Kirk traveled with a private security contingent, a Turning Point USA aide traveling on the tour told CNN, whether he was speaking to large rallies like the one in Orem, Utah, or at smaller events.

    Kirk most recently appeared in the Oval Office in May, attending the swearing-in ceremony of Judge Jeanine Pirro as US attorney for Washington, DC.

    The president and dozens of other Kirk allies – as well as Democrats who had sharp disagreements with him – posted well-wishes and calls for prayer online in the wake of the shooting.

    President Donald Trump shakes hands with moderator Charlie Kirk during a Generation Next White House forum in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2018. Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP via CNN Newsource

    Kirk argued Trump was saving the American dream

    Kirk was known for debating college students about abortion rights, which he opposed; climate change, which he downplayed; and transgender rights, which he rejected. He frequently sought to rally young people around traditional gender roles. He also backed Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

    Kirk spoke at the last three Republican conventions. In 2024, he said that marriage and home ownership were elusive for too many young Americans, and faulted former President Joe Biden.

    “Under Biden, our young people own nothing and they are miserable. Donald Trump refuses to accept this fake, pathetic, mutilated version of the American dream,” he said. “Donald Trump is on a rescue mission to revive your birthright, one your grandparents and those before them gave everything to hand down to you.”

    Kirk was an outspoken advocate for gun rights.

    At an April 2023 Turning Point USA Faith event, he said that “you will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won’t have a single gun death.”

    But, Kirk added, “I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.”

    Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks before Donald Trump arrives at the Turning Point Believers’ Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, in July 2024. Credit: Alex Brandon / AP via CNN Newsource

    He started in politics as a teenager

    Kirk got his first experience in politics as a student at Wheeling High School in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, when he volunteered for the winning 2010 Senate campaign of Republican former Sen. Mark Kirk.

    He earned national attention in 2012 when, as a high school senior, he wrote in Breitbart News that high school students were being indoctrinated by liberal textbooks. He briefly attended Harper College, but dropped out to become a full-time conservative activist, and went on to argue that college is unnecessary for many people.

    Kirk and retired businessman and conservative activist Bill Montgomery co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012. The two had met when Kirk was 18, at a speaking engagement at Benedictine University that followed his Breitbart piece. The organization was quickly backed by a roster of major Republican donors, including Foster Friess.

    He went on to become a best-selling author and well-known media personality who hosted a daily three-hour show.

    In 2021, Kirk married Erika Frantzve, with whom he shared two young children.

    This story has been updated with additional details.

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    Eric Bradner and CNN

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  • Charlie Kirk shooting – what we know so far

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    Spencer Cox, Utah’s governor, said that he had been “briefed by law enforcement following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk during his visit to Utah Valley University today”. Cox added that “those responsible will be held fully accountable”, and urged “Americans of every political persuasion” to condemn the shooting. He offered his prayers for Kirk, his family and all those affected.

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