Chaos at Utah college: Manhunt underway for suspect who shot and killed Charlie Kirk
A manhunt is underway for the suspect who shot and killed right-wing activist Charlie Kirk while he was speaking at a political event on a Utah college campus.
Chaos unfolded at Utah Valley University in Orem Wednesday afternoon after Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of the MAGA youth organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck.
Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was hosting a question and answer event with students as part of his organization’s “American Comeback Tour,” which had just kicked off, when a single shot was fired.
Trump said Kirk was dead in a tribute on Truth Social.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the president wrote. “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!”
Graphic footage circulating on social media showed the moment Kirk was hit by the bullet, bleeding heavily before he fell backward in his chair, in front of a horrified student audience.
Authorities are still searching for the suspect.
Here’s everything we know about the shooting so far:
What happened?
Kirk was answering a question about “transgender mass shooters” during the question and answer event when a shot rang out, according to former Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, speaking to Fox News.
Graphic footage from bystanders circulating on social media captured the moment Kirk was hit by the bullet as he sat on the outdoor stage and conversed with students.
A single loud shot was heard which sent the crowd into panic.
The video showed Kirk bleeding heavily from neck as he fell backward off his chair to the ground.
Crowds dispersed in a panic after the shot was fired.
Kirk was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition but succumbed to his injuries.
Who is Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, which is present in over 3,500 high schools and college campuses, with over 250,000 student members nationwide, according to its website.
He formed the group in 2012 when he was 18 years old and emerged as an influential voice among Trump’s supporters with an audience on his social media channels and streaming video networks that reach millions of followers.
Kirk used his influence to campaign for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, and he spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer.
His organization arranged transportation for supporters to protest the 2020 presidential election result in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021.
Turning Point USA spokesperson at the time, Andrew Kolvet, said that Kirk never advocated violence.
“Charlie wants to save America with words, persuasion, courage and common sense,” Kolvet said, NBC News reported last year. “The left is desperate to conjure up some Christian boogeyman that simply doesn’t exist. We’re telling churches: Either get involved and have a say in the direction of your country or you’ll leave a void that someone else who doesn’t share your values will fill.”
What we know about the suspect
A manhunt is underway for the suspect, whose identity is currently unknown.
There was earlier confusion after a campus alert stated that a suspect had been arrested, according to a university spokesperson, but this turned out to be a different individual who was not the shooter.
Utah college campus event was ‘met with divided opinion’
Kirk was hosting his organization’s “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot. The Utah college campus was the first stop on the tour, which was set to make stops at campuses across the country this fall.
The event had been met with divided opinions on campus. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures.
The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
Political figures unite in condemning violence
Political figures from the right and left have united in condemning Wednesday’s violence.
California Governor Gavin Newsom described the incident as “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”
“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom wrote on X.
Former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “deeply disturbed” by the shooting. “Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America,” Harris said. “I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “We ask everyone to pray for him and his family…This is detestable what has happened. Political violence has become all too common in American society, and this is not who we are.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
