OREM, Utah — Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who built Turning Point USA into one of the most influential youth movements on the American right, was shot and killed on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, while addressing students at Utah Valley University.
He was 31.
The shooting occurred during a “Prove Me Wrong” question-and-answer session in the university’s quad, where hundreds had gathered under a tent.
Witnesses said a single gunshot rang out as Kirk responded to a student’s question about mass shootings in America.
The bullet struck him in the neck.
Panic spread through the crowd as people screamed and scrambled for safety.
Kirk collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital by his security team.
Despite emergency efforts, he was pronounced dead.
The killing set off immediate waves of condemnation and grief across the United States, deepening the country’s anxieties over political violence.
President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, confirmed Kirk’s death and ordered that American flags nationwide be flown at half-staff.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Mr. Trump wrote.
“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. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Kirk rose to prominence after co-founding Turning Point USA in 2012, a nonprofit group that quickly became a fixture on college campuses nationwide.
With a message built around free-market economics, small government, and cultural conservatism, he cultivated a loyal following among young conservatives while sparking fierce opposition from progressives.
He became a close ally of Trump, frequently appearing at rallies, conservative conferences, and on cable television, where his rapid-fire style and uncompromising rhetoric made him a polarizing but highly visible figure in American politics.
Law enforcement officials had not immediately released details about the gunman or the motive by Wednesday night.
Authorities said they were reviewing video footage that circulated widely on social media within hours of the attack.
The FBI announced it was investigating the shooting “as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime.”
For many of his supporters, Kirk’s sudden death marked not only the loss of a prominent conservative voice but also another grim chapter in America’s struggle with gun violence and political extremism.
