Compiled from news service reports
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a college event in Utah on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump announced that Kirk had died after being shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
“The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump announced on social media. “No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Kirk, 31, was the founder and president of a national student group called Turning Point USA and a frequent speaker at university campuses. Video footage of the incident posted on social media showed him being shot in the neck.
Only one shot was fired. The university said the shooter fired from the Losee Center building, roughly 200 yards from Kirk, who was immediately taken to the hospital, where he was initially reported to be in critical condition.
Utah Valley University was evacuated, classes were canceled, and police locked down the campus.
FBI: Subject Taken into Custody Has Been Released
FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday announced that the second person taken into custody in relation to the assassination of Kirk was released.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” Patel wrote in a post on X.
Initially, an elderly man was detained in relation to the murder. However, he was also released by police following questioning.
The Salt Lake City branch of the FBI established a tip line seeking information about the shooting. Officials currently believe that only one person was involved in the assassination.
Low-quality security camera footage from the campus shows that the perpetrator wore all dark clothing and likely fired from a rooftop, officials said.
Bipartisan Political Leaders Condemn Shooting
Political leaders across the United States condemned the shooting.
Shortly after the news broke, high-ranking politicians and commentators from both political parties issued expressions of condolence and called for prayers that Kirk might survive the incident.
“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X, later adding another message: “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour.”
Trump’s and Vance’s messages were among the scores of Republicans, including members of Congress and administration officials, who expressed condemnation of the attack.
“Please join us in praying for our good friend, Charlie Kirk,” wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” wrote Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
“FBI and ATF agents are on the scene. PRAY FOR CHARLIE,” wrote Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Many Democrats and progressive political commentators also shared in those sentiments.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” wrote California Gov. Gavin Newsom on X. Newsom made headlines earlier this year when he invited Kirk to be the inaugural guest on his podcast, where they discussed political differences between Democrats and Republicans.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., whose husband Paul was infamously attacked in their San Francisco home in 2022, wrote on X: “The horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation. All Americans should pray for Charlie Kirk’s recovery and hold the entire [Utah Valley University] community in our hearts as they endure the trauma of this gun violence.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on X: “I am deeply disturbed by the shooting in Utah. Doug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family. Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
“Political violence is NEVER acceptable. My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family,” wrote House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
“I condemn this in the strongest terms. There is ZERO place in our great country for these horrendous acts of political violence. We must find a better way forward. May Charlie Kirk have a full and quick recovery,” U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., wrote before Kirk’s death was announced.
“The shot looked real bad, but I sure hope Charlie makes it somehow,” tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk wrote, also before Kirk’s death was confirmed.
Mehdi Hasan, a British-American progressive commentator who has often criticized Kirk’s positions on various issues, wrote: “Horrific news out of Utah. I hope Kirk and anyone else affected are OK. Political violence, and gun violence, is never acceptable, excusable, or justifiable.”
Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for the rest of the week. “In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly great American patriot, I am ordering all American flags throughout the United States lowered to half-mast until Sunday evening at 6 P.M.,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Valladares Issues Statement
Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, who represents most of the Santa Clarita Valley, issued a prepared statement following the assassination of Kirk.
“My heart breaks for Charlie Kirk’s wife and children. No partner, no young child should ever have to face this type of loss,” Valladares’ statement said. “As parents, we all want the same thing — to leave our kids a world better, safer, and freer than the one we inherited. That’s why so many step into public life despite the sacrifices and the risks. Charlie did that because he loved his family, his faith, his country and wanted to shape a better future for them and for all of us.”
She added: “The assassination of any political leader is not just a personal tragedy — it’s a wound to our democracy. History reminds us of how devastating these acts are. We must never grow numb to it. The words we use, the tone we set, and the example we leave for the next generation all matter. We each have a responsibility to end this cycle of hatred and violence.”
Witnesses Recount Scene of Assassination
The stop at Utah Valley University was to be the opening event in his “American Comeback Tour.” Kirk had just started taking audience questions when he was struck by gunfire.
Utah Valley University junior Aspen Brown told KSL that she was standing to the right of Kirk, about 15 feet away from his stand, when she heard a gunshot. Then pandemonium swept over the crowd.
“He was two questions in and then we heard the shot,” she said afterward, still shaken. “People were trying to run out when they heard that.”
Michael Andersen, a professor at UVU, told KSL he was about 50 feet from where Kirk was sitting when he heard what he initially believed was a firework going off.
“Then people started running out of the amphitheater, and I saw some people trying to get up out of the terraces,” Andersen told KSL.
The UVU professor said that, only as he was walking away, someone said they saw the moment Kirk was hit.
Former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who attended Kirk’s event, told Fox News he heard one shot and then saw Kirk fall back.
“As soon as I saw Charlie go back, you realize that it was a shot,” Chaffetz said. “It wasn’t as if there was a whole bunch of gunfire. It was one shot.”
Turning Point USA Releases Statement
Turning Point USA released an official statement on X at 5:39 p.m. ET, confirming the death of its founder.
“It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that Charles James Kirk has been murdered by a gunshot that took place during Turning Point USA’s ‘The American Comeback Tour’ Campus event at Utah Valley University,” the statement read.
“May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior, who suffered and died for Charlie,” it added.
Turning Point USA asked everyone to keep Kirk’s family and his loved ones in their prayers and to respect their privacy and dignity.
T.J. Muscaro, Arjun Singh, Ryan Morgan, Joseph Lord and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
