By:Katie McKellar
Utah News Dispatch
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump 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!”
Videos circulating on social media show students scattering after a popping sound is heard, Kirk appears to be impacted by something, and begins bleeding from his neck. Witnesses say he was answering a question about gang violence and shootings in the moment he was shot.
In a statement, Utah Valley University confirmed Kirk had been shot at about 12:20 p.m. while speaking to the crowd.
Police are investigating and the campus has been closed for the rest of the day.
Adelaide Condie, an 18-year-old Utah Valley University student, was standing on a trash can trying to see Kirk as he answered a question about gun violence when he was hit.
“All of a sudden he got shot … It looked like it was to the chest from where I was, but people are saying it was to the neck … then he went down,” said Condie as she was leaving campus. “Everyone started running, then we all got on lockdown.”
The university initially reported a suspect was in custody, but reports later indicated the individual had been released.
Shooting follows No Kings protest shooting, national political violence
The shooting on the college campus in Orem, about 45 minutes south of Salt Lake City, follows violence this summer in Utah and beyond. In July, shots rang out as more than 10,000 people marched in Salt Lake City as part of the “No Kings” protest of the Trump administration and its policies.
A self-designated “volunteer peacekeeper” fired with a handgun after seeing a man with an AR-15-style rifle, winging him in the side and striking a protester walking by in the head. Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo, a fashion designer and fixture of the Polynesian community in Utah, died from the wound.
On the same day in Wisconsin, Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman was assassinated in her home, along with her husband, Mark Hortman. Police say the accused gunman, Vance Boelter, disguised himself as a police officer. Boelter is also charged with shooting Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, both of whom survived, in their Champlin home.
Kirk’s visit to Utah drew criticism
Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA, an organization that advocates for conservative politics in educational institutions, and a close ally of the president. He is a widely known internet personality who takes his signature “prove me wrong” debates to college campuses.
His Utah visit wasn’t without controversy. In a Change.org petition, students at Utah State University, where Kirk was scheduled to make a second appearance in the state on Sept. 30, said Kirk’s polarizing rhetoric is at odds with the inclusive atmosphere they want to preserve on campus. The petition had more than 6,800 signatures.
Concern for Kirk flows in
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the FBI is “closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.”
“Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation,” Patel said.
In a statement posted to social media, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he was being briefed by law enforcement “following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk,” and will continue to share updates.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life,” Cox wrote. “Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.”
On Capitol Hill, dozens of congressional Republicans offered prayers for Kirk, with whom many GOP members have personal relationships.
U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, paused the panel’s consideration of a bill and held a moment of silence after Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene informed the committee of the shooting.
Vice President JD Vance offered his own statement of support on X.
“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” he wrote.
Utah News Dispatch journalists McKenzie Romero, Kyle Dunphey and Alixel Cabrera, and States Newsroom reporter Jacob Fischler contributed to this story.