Conservative speaking head and Turning Level USA (TPUSA) govt director Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday whereas talking at Utah Valley College.
Viral video clips circulating on social media present the 31-year-old being struck within the throat whereas seated beneath a tent within the campus courtyard as a part of the American Comeback Tour, an occasion hosted by TPUSA’s Utah Valley chapter. A single shot rings out, and Kirk will be seen reaching up along with his proper hand as a big quantity of blood gushes from the left facet of his neck. Witnesses captured scenes of scholars operating from the courtyard as gunfire erupted, with one video exhibiting Kirk slumping earlier than safety rushed him from the stage.
Kirk’s loss of life was confirmed to the New York Instances by his spokesman, Andrew Kolvet.
The TPUSA press staff initially confirmed the incident to Fox Information, stating that Kirk had been shot, and noting that on the time his situation was unknown. A spokesperson for Utah Valley College (UVU) police later confirmed that “photographs have been fired on campus.
“What we all know at present is that Charlie Kirk was about 20 minutes into his presentation after we heard photographs fired from a close-by constructing, and to the most effective of our information, he was hit and brought along with his safety staff away from the premises, and the courtyard was cleared,” a UVU spokesperson advised CNBC.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox shortly addressed the incident on X, writing:
“Violence has no place in our public life. Individuals of each political persuasion should unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his household, and all these affected. These accountable might be held absolutely accountable.”
Donald Trump, a longtime ally of Kirk’s, took to Reality Social to share his ideas, writing, “We should all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. An incredible man from high to backside. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Trump later posted once more, saying Kirk was useless, writing,
“The Nice, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk is useless. Nobody understood and even had the guts.”
Supply: Mark Wilson / Getty
JD Vance described Kirk as “a genuinely good man and a younger father,” whereas Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth known as him “an unbelievable Christian, American, and human being,” invoking “the therapeutic hand of Jesus Christ” in his remarks.
Democratic leaders additionally weighed in on the capturing, with California Governor Gavin Newsom condemning the assault as “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”
“The assault on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the USA of America, we should reject political violence in EVERY type,” Newsom wrote.
FBI Director Kash Patel mentioned the bureau was “carefully monitoring experiences of the tragic capturing involving Charlie Kirk” and confirmed that brokers could be dispatched to the scene.
“Our ideas are with Charlie, his family members, and everybody affected,” Patel wrote in a put up on X. “Brokers might be on the scene shortly and the FBI stands in full assist of the continued response and investigation.”
At 31, Kirk had grow to be one of the influential figures in right-wing activism. Because the co-founder and govt director of Turning Level USA since 2012, Kirk constructed a community of conservative school chapters throughout the nation. He was additionally a frequent surrogate for Donald Trump, enthusiastically backing him since he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016, serving to him amplify false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and reportedly coordinated with the Trump marketing campaign throughout the 2024 cycle.
Kirk is thought for his combative model and use of faculty excursions as platforms to spar straight with critics. He was at UVU to kick off the American Comeback Tour and featured his signature “show me mistaken” desk format, the place college students problem his views in reside debates.
Charlie Kirk’s capturing underscores the escalating local weather of political hostility within the U.S. The capturing has united leaders throughout celebration strains in condemning violence, although it additionally exposes how even public college campuses have grow to be battlegrounds for ideological battle.
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