Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore / Flickr
Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder who energized a generation of young voters, was shot and killed on the afternoon of Sept. 10 during a college event in Utah, President Donald Trump said on social media.
“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,” Trump wrote in a heartfelt message. “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!”
Kirk, a husband and father of two, was shot around 12:10 p.m. while taking student questions at Utah Valley University on his “American Comeback Tour,” NBC News reported. Cell phone video clips circulating on social media showed Kirk reaching toward his neck before collapsing out of his chair as a shot rang out.
The investigation has seen shifting reports throughout the day. Shortly after the attack, the university said police had detained a suspect, but The New York Times reported that the individual was not the shooter.
Around 6:30 p.m., FBI Director Kash Patel announced on social media that the shooter was in custody. About an hour later, Patel issued another statement clarifying that the individual in custody had been released after interrogation and that the investigation remains ongoing.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump called Kirk “a patriot and a martyr for truth and freedom” and said the attack marked “a dark moment for America.” He said the murder was “a dark moment for America” and accused the “radical left” of stoking the rhetoric that fuels violence.
Within an hour of Kirk’s death, the White House lowered its flags to half-staff. The President also ordered all American flags across the country lowered until Sunday evening in a Truth Social post.
Dozens of leaders and supporters flooded social media with prayers and condolences for his wife and their two children, including Catholic NFL player Harrison Butker who shared a text exchange he had with Kirk.
In October, the activist had sent Butker Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt called the attack a “brutal assassination” and urged leaders across the political spectrum to condemn the murder.
“Today, our nation mourns not only the loss of a bold voice for truth, but a husband and father who leaves behind a wife and two little children,” Reinhardt said. “We commend his soul to the mercy of Almighty God and entrust his grieving family to the consolation of Christ, who alone can heal such a wound.”
She added that Kirk “was targeted for one reason: he spoke the truth without fear. He defended faith, family, and freedom with a clarity and courage rare in our age. His death is a stark reminder that hatred, when left unchecked, festers into violence.”
Concluding her message, Reinhardt prayed for Kirk’s soul and for his grieving family.
“May God receive him into eternal light,” she said, “and may the sacrifice of his life inspire us all to stand more firmly for what is right, without fear.”
Kirk built an audience of more than five million followers on X and reached young Americans across the nation through his podcast and radio program, “The Charlie Kirk Show.”
This is a developing story.