Supporters of conservative activist Charlie Kirk raised more than $3 million in less than 48 hours for his widow, Erika, and their two young children after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Utah.
The fundraiser, hosted on the Christian crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo, was launched by ALP Pouches, which pledged the first $1 million. The campaign lists a goal of $5 million and urges donors to contribute “whatever you are able” to help provide “security and stability” for Erika Kirk and the couple’s three-year-old daughter and 16-month-old son.
Kirk, 31, was shot on Wednesday while answering a question about mass shootings at a Turning Point USA rally at Utah Valley University in Orem. Witnesses described chaos after the gunfire. Sophie Anderson, 45, told reporters she initially thought she heard a gunshot and said Kirk “was shot in the neck and just fell over and he was just a fountain of blood,” as attendees fled the area. Kirk was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Authorities arrested 22-year-old Taylor Robinson after a manhunt that lasted roughly 33 hours. Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night after his father, Matt Robinson, recognized him in FBI images and turned him in. Prosecutors announced charges that include aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice, and said they will seek the death penalty.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference that Robinson’s family told investigators the 22-year-old had spoken critically of Kirk at a family dinner, calling him “full of hate and spreading hate.” Officials said the suspect had driven a gray Dodge Challenger matching witness descriptions and that the rifle believed to have been used in the attack was found in nearby woods wrapped in a towel. Unspent rounds recovered alongside the rifle bore etched phrases that investigators described in court filings.
Robinson initially confessed to the shooting, according to law enforcement, but his motive remains unclear. Public records indicate he had not voted in the last two elections and was not registered to a political party. Family and social media images released by investigators showed Robinson in everyday settings and at times in politically themed costumes. Authorities said his behavior had grown “more political in recent years,” according to comments from his family relayed by the governor.
The attack has reverberated across conservative political circles and the wider public, coming amid other recent incidents of political violence in the United States. President Donald Trump paid tribute on Truth Social, calling Kirk “great, and even Legendary,” and ordered flags lowered to half-staff. Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Utah and helped carry Kirk’s casket onto Air Force Two as his body was transported to Arizona.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and became a prominent voice in the conservative movement, building the organization into a nationwide youth-oriented network and launching affiliated initiatives including Turning Point Faith and Turning Point Academy. He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention and later opened the 2020 convention, drawing wide attention for campus debates and social-media reach.
Turning Point USA organizers and other conservative leaders held memorials and public remembrances in the days following the shooting. A spontaneous memorial formed outside Timpanogos Regional Hospital and at Turning Point USA’s headquarters, where supporters gathered to pray and lay flowers.
The GiveSendGo campaign, begun by ALP Pouches, quickly drew contributions from across the country as supporters and allies sought to provide for Kirk’s family. The campaign page thanked donors and framed the fundraising as a way to ensure long-term stability for Erika Kirk and her children amid the sudden loss of the family’s primary provider.
Investigators continue to review evidence in the case, including digital communications and witness statements, as prosecutors prepare for trial. Court filings and officials’ statements indicate law enforcement agents have recovered the suspected weapon and are working to assemble the full timeline of events surrounding the shooting and subsequent arrest. Meanwhile, organizers of the fundraiser said they would keep the campaign open as supporters press toward the $5 million goal to aid the Kirk family.