Charlie Kirk pronounced dead at 31 after being shot at campus appearance
Caroline MolloyCharlie 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.
