Charlie Kirk, Right-Wing Activist, Fatally Shot in Utah
Charlie Kirk, Right-Wing Activist, Fatally Shot in Utah
Mr. Kirk, a close ally of President Trump and one of the most influential young right-wing figures in the United States, was shot in the neck while speaking in front of a large crowd on a university campus.
Charlie Kirk, a close ally of President Trump and the founder of the nation’s pre-eminent right-wing youth activist organization, was fatally shot on Wednesday while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University, his spokesman Andrew Kolvet said.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
A university spokeswoman, Ellen Treanor, said that Mr. Kirk, 31, was struck about 20 minutes after he began speaking on the university’s campus in Orem, Utah. She said a suspect had fired at Mr. Kirk from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.
The university originally said the shooter had been taken into custody. But officials later determined that the person being detained by police officers in videos posted online was not the gunman, said another spokesman, Scott Trotter. He was relying on information from the university’s police chief, who was coordinating with law enforcement agencies.
Video footage: Cellphone videos posted online showed people running from the event after a gunshot rang out. One video appeared to show Mr. Kirk’s head jerking back as blood poured from his neck. He had been delivering remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
Bipartisan condemnation: Democrats and Republicans quickly denounced the shooting on social media and in Congress. In a post, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat of California, called the violence “disgusting, vile and reprehensible.”
Close ally: Mr. Kirk had emerged in recent years one of the most influential young right-wing figures in the country, and had established himself as a close ally of the president. Mr. Kirk co-founded the youth activist group Turning Point USA in 2012 and had become a fixture on college campuses, where he hosted rallies like the one in Utah, that often draw large crowds.
White House influence: Even though he was not part of the administration, Mr. Kirk’s influence in the White House was significant. Since the November election, he had helped vet prospective appointees, testing their loyalty to Mr. Trump.
Campus is closed: At least 1,000 people were attending the event at Utah Valley University when Mr. Kirk was shot, according to Mr. Trotter, the university spokesman. He said the campus was closed after the shooting, and classes had been canceled until further notice.
White House reporter
President Trump announced on social media that Charlie Kirk had died after being shot in the neck at an event in Utah.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “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!”
Michael Gold
Speaker Mike Johnson paused the House in the middle of a series of votes to call for a moment of silence and prayer for Charlie Kirk. When Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado asked for someone to lead a prayer aloud, several Democrats objected, pointing out that the House had not given other shootings the same treatment. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican who is close to Kirk, then began shouting angrily at the other side of aisle.
