Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem and later died from his wounds, authorities and his organization said.
The shooting occurred about 12:20 p.m. local time during the kickoff of Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback Tour.” Kirk was speaking at what organizers described as a "Prove Me Wrong" table when a single gunshot struck him in the neck, video from the event shows. He was taken from the campus by his security detail and transported to a hospital, where Turning Point and other officials later confirmed his death. President Donald Trump posted that Kirk had died on the social platform Truth Social.
Orem police, Utah Valley University public safety and the FBI were working the scene, and university officials ordered a shelter-in-place and locked down the campus while officers swept buildings and escorted people out. A person was briefly taken into custody after the shooting but was released, university officials and law enforcement said. Authorities had not publicly identified a suspect or announced a motive as of Thursday morning.
Event organizers said roughly 1,400 people had RSVP'ed to the event and that many attendees traveled from outside Utah. Campus officials said the shot appeared to have been fired from a building about 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking. Roads in and out of the university were closed for part of the afternoon, and classes were canceled for the day.
Political leaders across the spectrum condemned the violence and offered prayers for Kirk’s family. President Joe Biden said there was no place in the country for the kind of violence that occurred and said he and Jill Biden were praying for Kirk’s loved ones. Former President Barack Obama called the shooting “despicable” and said he and Michelle Obama would pray for Kirk’s wife and two children. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would lead members in a moment of silence and called the shooting "detestable." Turning Point USA asked for privacy and prayers in a statement that confirmed Kirk had been murdered by a gunshot at the event.
Other public figures issued more partisan statements, and some social media posts blamed political opponents despite no public identification of a suspect. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he had spoken with the president and that federal and state authorities were coordinating on the investigation. The Reagan Presidential Library postponed a scheduled event with commentator Ben Shapiro in the aftermath of the shooting.
The shooting was captured in video that circulated online and showed the immediate panic among attendees. Campus safety personnel and local officers were on the scene within minutes, and university officials urged anyone still on campus to call public safety so they could be escorted to safety.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18 and helped build it into one of the most prominent conservative campus organizations in the United States. The group and its associated political arm, Turning Point Action, have organized large on-campus events and national rallies, and Kirk cultivated a large digital following as host of "The Charlie Kirk Show." He regularly drew both large crowds and protests on college campuses and had been a frequent guest and interlocutor with high-profile Republican politicians.
Officials urged the public not to speculate about motive and to allow law enforcement to complete its work. Investigators asked anyone with information, video or images from the area around the time of the shooting to contact Orem police. Turning Point USA said it would provide updates and requested privacy for Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their two young children.
The killing of a high-profile political activist while speaking on a college campus prompted calls from leaders for an end to political violence and renewed attention to the safety of public events and campus speakers. Authorities said the investigation remained active and that more details would be released as they were confirmed.