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Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder, dead at 31 after Utah campus shooting

Conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder was scheduled to appear as part of American Comeback Tour

Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, is dead after being shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University Wednesday.

President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk's death in a post on Truth Social.

"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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," Trump wrote. "Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

DEVELOPING STORY: CHARLIE KIRK SHOT AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY EVENT

 

Charlie Kirk speaks to the audience just before he was shot
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point's visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

 

Kirk died after he was taken to a hospital in critical condition after being shot Wednesday at a Utah event, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Video posted from the event appeared to show Kirk being shot as he spoke to the crowd from under a white pop-up tent. After the shot, the crowd dispersed, with onlookers shouting, "Run, run, run!"

Treanor said the shooting happened at about 12:20 p.m.

 

Charlie Kirk before he was shot hands out hats to the crowd
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

 

Manhunt

The suspect is not in custody, Utah Valley University said in a statement. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, UVU spokesperson Ellen Treanor said: "A suspect was in custody initially, but to the best of my knowledge, that individual has been released. Our campus police are currently investigating in conjunction with the Orem police." Fox News Digital has reached out to Orem Police Department for comment.

Campus police on Wednesday afternoon asked students to call a hotline and be escorted off.

"Police will come and escort you out of the building," the university wrote in an X statement. "Public transportation is available at Orem Station by pedestrian bridge."

In a statement, UVU said that police are escorting students off campus: "UVU campus is closed. Classes cancelled. Those on campus, secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus. Police are currently going building to building escorting people off campus. Roads to campus are currently closed."

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Charlie Kirk shot, crowd disperses
Charlie Kirk shot, crowd disperses

 

 

Charlie Kirk shot, crowd disperses
Charlie Kirk shot, crowd disperses

 

 

Charlie Kiri shot at on University campus
Charlie Kiri shot at on University campus

"We had a speaker, Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group, Turning Point USA, who was speaking on campus today at noon," the statement said.

"At about 12:20 shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel," Treanor said previously. Treanor said the campus is closed for the day.

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Reactions after the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college.
Reactions after the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college.

 

 

Police the scene after the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college.
Police the scene after the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college.

 

 

Reactions after the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college.
Reactions after the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college.

 

The crowd reacts after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, is shot at the Utah Valley University Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

In a campus-wide alert, Utah Valley University said that: "A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker. Police are investigating now."

 

Charlie Kirk listens onstage during Politicon 2018 event
Charlie Kirk listens onstage during Politicon 2018 on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/Politicon)

 

Utah Valley University noted that the campus is "closed until further notice."

"Ongoing police investigation. If you are still on campus, follow police directions."

 

Charlie Kirk at Student Action Summit
Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, US, on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

 

Kirk had been scheduled to appear at Utah Valley University on Wednesday as part of his American Comeback Tour, with another stop at Utah State University later this month. His appearances have drawn protests and petitions from student groups critical of his views.

In a since-deleted post on Kirk's social media just hours before the attack, the conservative firebrand wrote: "WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour."

The fall 2025 leg of the tour began at the Orem, Utah university and is "a nationwide campus tour aimed at equipping students with the tools to push back against leftwing indoctrination in academia and reclaim their right to free speech." 

 

Charlie Kirk speaks at event
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk speaks during the Turning Point Action's The Believers Summit 2024 ahead of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s presentation, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., July 26, 2024. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)

 

Trump wrote on social media: "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"

In a statement on X, Vice President J.D. Vance wrote: "Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father."

 

Charlie Kirk Shot and Hospitalized at Utah Event
 FILE - Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
 

Utah Senator Mike Lee posted to X shortly after news of the shooting broke, writing, "I am tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there."

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote: "Prayers for Charlie Kirk. An incredible Christian, American, and human being. May the healing hand of Jesus Christ be upon him."

 

Charlie Kirk American Comeback Tour
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, throws hats to the public on May 1, 2025, at UC San Diego's Town Square.(Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket )

 

In a statement, the U.S. Secret Service expressed their "deepest sympathies" to the Kirk family.

"The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority. President Trump receives the highest levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and the agency adjusts our protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats," they said. "Out of concern for operational security, we cannot discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations."

 

President Trump Participates In Panel Discussion At The Generation Next Summit At The White House
President Donald Trump shakes hands with conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a forum dubbed the Generation Next Summit at the White House on March 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C.  (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

 

Kirk married former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve in May 2021. They have two children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

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He is the author of four books including, most recently, "The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas that Will Win the Future." Kirk is the host of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, which was downloaded over 120 million times in the last 12 months and regularly ranks among the top 10 shows on Apple Podcasts charts.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital. 

You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Author: Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Adam Sabes , Samantha Daigle

Source: Fox News:

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