US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, in what state authorities described as a political assassination.
The 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA was addressing about 3,000 people outdoors when a gunshot struck him in the neck around 12:20 p.m. local time. Videos shared online showed Kirk collapsing as spectators fled in panic.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the shot appeared to have been fired from a rooftop sniper’s nest on campus. Hours later, police confirmed the suspect remained at large, though two men initially detained were later released without charge.
Governor Spencer Cox called the killing “a dark day for our state and a tragic day for our nation,” insisting it was a politically motivated attack.
Trump, in a video address from the Oval Office, vowed to bring those responsible to justice and ordered all government flags flown at half-staff until Sunday. He blamed “dangerous political rhetoric” for fueling violence.
The shooting occurred at the first stop of Kirk’s planned 15-city “American Comeback Tour.” Moments before the attack, he had been answering a student’s question about mass shootings.
Kirk, a married father of two, co-founded Turning Point USA, which became one of the largest conservative youth organizations in the country and a key part of Trump’s re-election network. He hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, drew more than 5 million followers on social media, and was a regular Fox News commentator.
On Capitol Hill, a proposed moment of silence for Kirk quickly devolved into partisan clashes, while at the White House, staffers described as admirers of Kirk were said to be visibly shaken by the news.
