Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot during a campus speaking event at Utah Valley University today.
The incident unfolded while Kirk was running his trademark “Prove Me Wrong” table as part of his American Comeback Tour.
Live video from the event showed Kirk being struck in the side of the head or neck as he spoke under a white tent, leading to panic and chaos among attendees as people shouted, “Run, run, run!”
Donald Trump announces Charlie Kirk’s death
Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death in a Truth Social post on Thursday morning (AEST), writing, “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!”
A spokesperson for Utah Valley University confirmed to PEOPLE that “shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel. The campus is closed for the rest of the day and our campus police has a suspect and custody”.
Shortly after the shooting, Kirk’s organisation Turning Point USA stated, “We can confirm that Charlie Kirk has been shot. He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,” per Aubrey Laitsch. The Associated Press later reported that Kirk was hospitalised in critical condition.
Reactions pour in for Charlie Kirk shooting
The news quickly drew widespread attention across social media. Utah Senator Mike Lee posted to X (formerly Twitter), “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.”
US Vice President JD Vance added, “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour.”
Hasan Piker, a progressive commentator who was set to debate Kirk at Dartmouth in two weeks, said on TikTok: “I was supposed to debate him at Dartmouth University 15 days from now, in a public event. I go out to public settings like this all the time, so there’s a level of closeness in that regard, because of the nature of what I do.
“This is insane. I never thought I would see something like this, but I guess if there’s one country where something like this could happen, it’s this one.”
Another progressive creator Dean Withers who’s faced off with Kirk before reacted live, “Imagine being a 12 year old watching your dad fucking die. Nobody deserves that. Not even Charlie Kirk. Nobody deserves that.”
He went on to say a message to those celebrating Kirk’s death, “If you want to claim that the left wants to end gun violence, then you can not celebrate gun violence.”
“Whether you agree with the things he said or not, no one should be killed and have their life taken away from them,” said Jeff Kissubi, an Australian progressive commentator and content creator.
“I think we need to understand that once we normalise violence, especially political violence, it directly infringes the core value of democracy.
“We can all agree that the humanities of others is never up for debate and harmful views should never be platformed, but that does not give you the right to take another person’s life.”
Who is Charlie Kirk?
Kirk became a high-profile figure in American conservative media after founding Turning Point USA in 2012, an organisation he said aimed “to identify, educate, train, and organise students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government”.
He made a name for himself by bringing controversial debates to college campuses and regularly discussed topics like gun control at his events and on his podcast. Kirk has previously stated that “it is worth to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every year, so [America] can have the second amendment”.
His X account had posted about his comeback tour event shortly before the shooting: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. 🔥🔥🔥. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour,” though the post has since been deleted.
As of publication, police have a suspect in custody, and the Utah Valley University campus remains closed as the investigation continues.
The post ‘Run, Run, Run’: Right-Wing Activist Charlie Kirk Shot Dead On Stage, Lawmakers React appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
