Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday at an event at a Utah college, Turning Point said. Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone at Utah Valley University, at Sorensen Center courtyard, sitting under a white tent.
Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday at an event at a Utah college, Turning Point said.
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone at Utah Valley University, at Sorensen Center courtyard, sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans, "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong."
A single shot rings out and Kirk reaches up with his hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream. Some run away.
The university said a suspect is in custody.
Here’s the latest:
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, posted that "the horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation." Pelosi's husband was seriously injured in 2022 by a man wielding a hammer, who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories.
Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a serious brain injury in a 2011 shooting in Arizona, said she was "horrified" to hear of Kirk's shooting. "Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence," she said on social media.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and potential national candidate, said, "We must speak with moral clarity. The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society." A fire was set at his house.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was the subject of a kidnapping plot, said on social media that "we should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence." Two men were imprisoned for their 2020 plot to kidnap the governor during her first term.
A former U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district, Jason Chaffetz, says when the shot rang out, Kirk had just been asked a question by someone in the crowd about transgender people and shootings.
"As soon as I saw Charlie go back, you realize that it was a shot," Chaffetz says. "It wasn't as if there was a whole bunch of gunfire. It was one shot."
- Vice President JD Vance: "Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour."
- Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: "Political violence must be always and totally rejected," Buttigieg wrote on X. "Praying for him and all who may have been injured or impacted."
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: "The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying. Political violence has no place in this country and should never become the norm. I'm sending my sympathies to his family and friends at this time."
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper: "Violence is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the attack on Charlie Kirk and political violence in all forms. I'm praying for his swift recovery."
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: “I'm horrified by the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college event in Utah. Political violence has no place in our country."
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein: "We can never tolerate or become numb to political violence. Our nation is weaker when people are afraid to share their opinions or disagree. Please join Anna and me in praying for Charlie Kirk's recovery."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Praying for @charliekirk11″
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore: "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Charlie Kirk this afternoon at Utah Valley University. As I have said in the past and as I will continue to say: Political violence is never acceptable. Ever."
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press that Kirk is being treated and is in critical condition. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
- By Alana Durkin Richer
With nearly 47,000 students, Utah Valley University has grown to become the largest public university in Utah.
It's located about 40 miles (65 miles) south of Salt Lake City, the state capital, and was founded in 1941 as a vocation school. From those beginnings, its enrollment has jumped five-fold over the past three decades.
The college is not affiliated or owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and a potential 2028 presidential candidate, called the shooting "chilling & horrific" in an X post.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another Democrat and potential national candidate, said, "We must speak with moral clarity. The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society."
Republican Senate Leader John Thune of South Dakota posted: "There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop."
Giffords, a former U.S. representative for Arizona who suffered a serious brain injury when she was shot in 2011, posted on X about the attack on Kirk.
"I'm horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah," she wrote Wednesday.
"Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence."
The event at Utah Valley University had been met with divided opinions on campus.
An online petition urging 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."
"A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!" the president said in a post on Truth Social.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is "closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk."
Vice President JD Vance also called for prayers, calling Charlie Kirk "a genuinely good guy and a young father."
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Attorney General Pam Bondi, and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined the chorus of Trump officials offering their prayers to Kirk.
Support also came from across the aisle.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the shooting "disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form."
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation."
"He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time," said Aubrey Laitsch, public relations manager for Turning Point USA.
Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who was at the event, said told Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back.
"It seemed like it was a close shot," Chaffetz said, who seemed shaken as he spoke.
He said there was a light police presence at the event and Kirk had some security but not enough.
"Utah is one of the safest places on the planet," he said. "And so we just don't have these types of things."
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