A United States conservative activist and ally of former President Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, was shot dead on Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University, Orem.
The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, a youth-based conservative organisation, was struck by a sniper’s bullet in the neck just minutes into his speech before a crowd of about 3,000. The attack, which unfolded at about 12:20 p.m. local time, triggered chaos as students and guests scampered for safety.
Video footage posted on social media showed Kirk clutching his neck as he collapsed, with blood gushing while security personnel tried to reach him.
Authorities immediately launched a manhunt. Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner, Beau Mason, confirmed the fatal shot was fired from what appeared to be a rooftop sniper’s nest on campus. He added that the suspected shooter was still “at large” several hours later.
Police detained two men for questioning in connection with the killing, but later released them, stating there was no link between either individual and the attack.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox described the incident as “a political assassination,” calling it a dark day for the state and the country. “This is a tragedy not just for Utah, but for America,” he said.
In Washington, Donald Trump reacted with fury in a video message released from the Oval Office. He vowed to hunt down those behind the killing. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and other acts of political violence,” Trump said.
He further directed that American flags be flown at half-mast until Sunday in Kirk’s honour. He also blamed what he termed dangerous political rhetoric for fuelling violence. “For years, people on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and mass murderers. This must stop now,” he declared.
Kirk’s death occurred at the opening of his 15-stop “American Comeback Tour” at universities nationwide. Ironically, just moments before he was shot, he had been responding to a student’s question about gun violence in America.
The activist, who was married with two children, had become one of the most prominent faces of conservative youth politics in the United States. With a following of over 5 million on X, and his widely consumed Charlie Kirk Show podcast, he was credited with mobilising younger and minority voters for Trump’s re-election campaign.
On Capitol Hill, a planned moment of silence for him descended into partisan bickering among lawmakers, underscoring America’s fraught political climate. At the White House, staffers who admired him were said to be visibly shaken.
