Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Wednesday during a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, intensifying concerns about political violence nationwide. He was 31. President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on social media and praised him as a “Great, and even Legendary” advocate for young conservatives.
Cellphone video from the Sorensen Center courtyard shows Kirk addressing an outdoor audience under a tent when a single gunshot rings out; he grabs his neck and collapses as the crowd screams and flees. The footage was recorded at UVU, where Kirk was appearing as part of his “American Comeback” tour.
Warning: The video below is graphic and disturbing.
While initial reports stated that a suspect was in custody, authorities said the suspected shooter has not been arrested. Early reports that someone detained on campus was the gunman were later corrected; UVU and local officials now say no suspect is in custody. Federal agencies, including the FBI and ATF, are assisting the investigation.
Kirk’s appearance had drawn mixed reactions on campus, including a petition urging the university to bar the event. UVU previously affirmed it would allow the speech on First Amendment grounds. Moments before the shooting, Kirk had been fielding questions about gun violence during an open Q&A.
Kirk launched Turning Point USA in 2012 and became one of Trump’s most prominent surrogates, building a large youth following through campus events and media appearances. Tributes and condemnations of the attack poured in from across the political spectrum Wednesday as investigators searched for the shooter.
This is developing.
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