Orem, September 11: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday in what state officials have described as a “political assassination.”
According to authorities, Kirk was struck by a single bullet fired from a rooftop as he addressed thousands of students under a tent at the Sorensen Centre courtyard. The shooter, dressed in dark clothing, escaped amid panic and chaos, leaving federal, state, and local agencies scrambling to investigate what they termed “multiple active crime scenes.”
“This is a dark day for our state and a tragic day for our nation,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox said, calling the incident a political assassination and pledging the perpetrator would be held accountable under Utah’s death penalty law.
Videos circulating on social media show Kirk, 31, responding to an audience question on gun violence when a single shot rang out. He clutched his neck as blood poured from the wound, sparking screams and a stampede as students scrambled for cover. Witnesses described scenes of panic, with people dropping shoes, backpacks, and chairs as they fled.
More than 3,000 people were in attendance, supported by six university police officers and Kirk’s personal security detail. Two people detained earlier were later released after police found no connection to the shooting.
Trump mourned the activist as a “martyr for truth and freedom,” ordering U.S. flags lowered to half-staff. “Charlie Kirk was Great, and even Legendary,” Trump said in a statement, blaming the rhetoric of the “radical left” for fueling political violence.
Kirk’s killing drew bipartisan condemnation. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” while former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a survivor of the 2011 Tucson shooting, said her “heart breaks” for Kirk’s wife and two young children.
The assassination has reignited fears over rising political violence in the U.S., coming just months after Trump himself survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally. Recent incidents have included the murder of a Minnesota state legislator, a firebombing at a Colorado parade, and an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor’s residence.
Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, building it into one of the most influential conservative youth organisations in the country. Known for his fiery rhetoric on culture wars and staunch support for Trump, Kirk had become a prominent voice for young Republicans nationwide.
Utah Valley University has closed its campus until Monday as the manhunt for the gunman continues, with armed officers patrolling neighbourhoods, helicopters overhead, and border security tightened.
