Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old Christian nationalist political activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead during an event he was hosting Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University near Provo.
According to multiple media reports, Kirk was the only person shot and was removed from the campus by his security team and transported to a hospital where he was initially listed in critical condition before being pronounced dead.
“Today at about 12:10 (MDT) a shot was fired at the visiting speaker, Charlie Kirk. He was hit and taken from the location by his security,” the university announced. He reportedly was shot in the neck and the suspect remains at large.
However, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said “a person of interest” was being questioned in the shooting, NBC News reported at 6:46 p.m..
‘American Comeback Tour’
At the time of his shooting, Kirk was leading an “American Comeback Tour” rally organized by Turning Point USA. The events are designed to stoke support for President Donald Trump and right-wing causes among young Americans. Kirk and Turning Point USA have been active MAGA advocates, especially among younger adults.
Ironically, Kirk was answering questions about gun violence and mass shootings at the time of his own assassination. A questioner asked him how many mass shootings had been committed by transgender people, and Kirk replied, “Too many.” The actual answer, the questioner responded, is five out of hundreds.
“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years,” the questioner asked next. As Kirk began to answer that question, a single shot rang out.
Kirk was busy posting on X in the hours before his killing, accusing Black Lives Matter of promoting violence and blaming liberal politics for the Sept. 22 murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.
And just before the shooting, Kirk posted that “Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour,” CNN reported.
Reactions to the shooting flooded social media beginning moments after the attack and well before Kirk’s death was announced hours later. Kirk’s death was announced on social media by Trump himself.
“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!”
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X the agency is monitoring the situation in Utah. “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.”
Vice President JD Vance posted: “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and young father.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “Prayers for Charlie Kirk. An incredible Christian, American, and human being. May the healing hand of Jesus Christ be upon him.”
The U.S. House of Representatives held a moment of silence after learning of Kirk’s shooting death, ABC News reported. Speaker Mike Johnson said of Kirk’s death: “Utterly devastating. Charlie was a close friend and confidant. He will be sorely missed by so many. Every political leader must loudly and clearly decry this violence. Our prayers go out to his wife and young children. May he rest in peace.”
Laments came from the left
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hosted Kirk on his podcast this year.
Former President Joe Biden posted similar sentiments: “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
As of now, no suspect is in custody but a person of interest has been identified. Law enforcement said this is an active investigation.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk’s right-wing activism began early, Mara Richards Bim reported for BNG in April.
“As a high school senior, Kirk began going to meetings and hanging out with right-wing political activists like 71-year old Bill Montgomery who, months later, would help Kirk co-found Turning Point USA. Also during his senior year, Kirk wrote an opinion piece for the controversial misinformation site Breitbart News, which landed him an interview on Fox News.”
Charlie Kirk with Jerry Falwell Jr. in a publicity photo for the Falkirk Center at Liberty University. The name was a mash up for Falwell and Kirk.
His rejection by West Point further solidified his anti-diversity outlook. That fall he began sponsoring political debates through TPUSA, attended the Republican National Convention where he met a multimillionaire who began infusing cash into the organization.
He became an insider in Republican and Tea Party circles after President Obama’s second election.
“By the time Donald J. Trump came onto the scene, Kirk had secured a spot within the remade Republican Party. More important, after marinating in resentment politics for several years, Kirk was a true believer,” Bim reported.
Kirk joined the Trump campaign a few weeks after the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shootings in 2016, becoming friends with Donald Trump Jr., enjoying a sudden infusion of dark money in his organization.
Between Trump’s presidential terms Kirk began to embrace Christian nationalism, shifting the stated mission of TPUSA from free markets and partisan debate to American exceptionalism, patriotism, respect for life and other “traditional American values.” He also created TPUSA Faith.
“TPUSA Faith has intertwined an extreme version of Christianity with the populist grievance-driven nationalist movement,” Bim reported. “Those who attend cannot differentiate between which elements of the TPUSA Faith events are worship service and which are political rally.”
Since Trump’s re-election Kirk has been appointed by the president to an Air Force Academy board that investigates the school’s curriculum and instruction.
“Charlie Kirk’s transformation is complete. He has gone from an angry white teenager being radicalized at racist Tea Party meetings to head of the most prolific organization radicalizing an entire generation of young people to the idolatry of Christian nationalism,” Bim reported.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Related article:
How Charlie Kirk went from college dropout to Trump influencer | Analysis by Mara Richards Bim