Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, the largest and most influential conservative youth organization in the U.S., was shot Wednesday during an event in Utah.
Bystanders saw Kirk, 31, shot near his neck during a Q&A with students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press Kirk was hospitalized in critical condition. A video captured at the event showed Kirk bleeding heavily from an apparent gunshot wound near his neck. Officials said a suspect is in custody.
“Today at about 12:10 [MDT] a shot was fired at the visiting speaker, Charlie Kirk,” campus police wrote on X. “He was hit and taken from the location by his security. Campus police are investigating; a suspect is in custody.”
University spokeswoman Ellen Treanor said that Kirk was struck about 20 minutes after he began speaking on campus, The New York Times reported. She said the suspect, who was not a student, had fired from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.
Treanor said Kirk was taken away by his security team and she did not have any information on his condition. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, confirmed that Kirk had been shot in the neck.
“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Cellphone videos taken at the event that were circulating online showed people running at the sound of a gunshot. One video appeared to show Kirk’s head jerking back as he delivered remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
Kirk posted on X minutes before the incident, the Daily Mail reported, although the post appears to have been deleted. The post showed photos of Kirk and the crowd.
“WE. ARE. SO. BACK,” Kirk wrote at 2.23pm EDT. “Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”
Kirk is one of the most prominent supporters of President Donald Trump. He has gained millions of followers through Turning Point USA, an organization established in 2012 that advocates for conservative politics on high school and university campuses.
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that federal law enforcement is monitoring the incident.
“We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” he wrote. “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.”
Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wrote on X that he was being briefed by law enforcement regarding the incident.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable,” Cox wrote. “Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.”
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Crowd screams at Charlie Kirk’s ‘shooter’ as he’s dragged away by police
Furious witnesses to the shooting of Charlie Kirk screamed and hurled abuse at the suspected shooter as he was dragged away by police.
‘How dare you, you f***ing monster!’ one yelled as the suspect, an elderly man who has not been identified, was walked away with his trousers down.
Witness Justin Hickens told NBC News that he saw Kirk shot in the neck, and then saw ‘a bunch of blood come out of Charlie.’
‘I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground,’ he said. ‘I kind of turned around and all of a sudden I saw officers walking with this very elderly gentleman with white hair.
‘They had him arrested, they had him on his knees and he was screaming about his rights and all that stuff. They cuffed him and put him away.’
UVU officials said the shot was fired from the top of the Losee Center, about 200 yards away from where Kirk was sitting.
Officials said that Kirk has been left in ‘critical condition’, and a source familiar with Kirk’s condition told Daily Mail that ‘doctors are still working on him’ after the conservative influencer was raced to hospital.
Furious witnesses to the shooting of Charlie Kirk screamed and hurled abuse at the suspected shooter as he was dragged away by police
‘How dare you, you f***ing monster!’ one witness yelled as the suspect, who has not been identified, was walked away with his trousers down
The gunman was described as an ‘elderly gentleman with white hair’ by witnesses
It comes as President Trump led prayers for Kirk after he appeared to be severely wounded at the event as he was hosting his Turning Point USA Q&A event with students.
‘We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!’ Trump said on Truth Social.
‘Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,’ Vice President JD Vance added on X.
The horror shooting unfolded Wednesday afternoon at the UVU campus in Orem.
Footage from the scene showed event goers screaming as shots rang out, with clips circulating social media appearing to show Kirk was shot in the neck.
Sophie Anderson, 45, who was standing 100 feet from the stage when the shooting happened, told the Daily Mail that she almost got trampled as she ran off into the food court where she hit in a closet.
’The second it happened, I knew it was a gunshot,’ said Anderson, who was joined at the event by her boss Phil Lyman, a former Utah state representative who was handing out hats on stage with Kirk just five minutes earlier.
’He was shot in the neck and just fell over and he was just a fountain of blood,’ she said. ‘They carried him off. All these kids are just falling apart and bawling.’
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