Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist, Trump ally, and co-founder of the youth group Turning Point USA, has died after being shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He was 31.
The shooting occurred as Kirk addressed students at the university’s Sorensen Center courtyard, where he was launching Turning Point’s “American Comeback Tour.” Videos verified by the Associated Press show Kirk seated under a white tent when a single shot rang out. He grabbed his neck as blood poured from his wound before collapsing, sending spectators fleeing in panic.
Former President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, calling him “Great, and even Legendary.” Trump added: “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Orem Mayor David Young said the suspected shooter remains at large. Authorities confirmed that a person detained at the university was not the gunman. Police locked down the campus and carried out a building-by-building search after the attack.
Turning Point USA spokesperson Aubrey Laitsch said the group was “praying for Charlie” as news of the shooting spread. Hours later, confirmation of his death sent shockwaves through conservative circles and renewed concerns about escalating political violence across the United States.
