Charlie Kirk Shot Dead at Utah Valley University Event
Trump Confirms Death of Turning Point USA Executive Director After On-Campus Attack
by Rob McConnell | TWATNews.com | Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Charlie Kirk, the prominent conservative activist, Trump ally, and executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. His death was later confirmed by Donald Trump on Truth Social.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States 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!”
The Shooting
Kirk had been participating in The American Comeback Tour, hosted by the TPUSA chapter at Utah Valley, when a bullet struck him as he sat beneath a tent on campus. Videos circulating online show students fleeing amid the chaos as gunfire rang out.
Eyewitnesses said the attack came moments after Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings. A Deseret News reporter present said Kirk had just been asked about the number of shootings committed by transgender individuals when the shot rang out.
“There was blood, immediately a lot of blood,” reporter Emma Pitts recalled. “Everyone hit the ground, and then people started running.”
Confusion Over Suspect
Initial reports from the university suggested a suspect had been taken into custody, but officials later clarified that the individual was not the shooter. As of press time, no suspect is in custody. Witnesses described the gunman as an older man, possibly in his late 50s or 60s, wearing a worker’s uniform.
Lockdown and Response
Utah Valley University immediately went into lockdown, cancelling classes and urging students to shelter in place until escorted off campus by police. “This is an ongoing and unfolding event,” the university said in a statement.
Governor Spencer Cox vowed accountability: “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.”
Other leaders, including Utah Senator Mike Lee, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, called for prayers and condemned the attack. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed agents were assisting local authorities in the investigation.
Tributes and Final Words
Political figures across the spectrum issued statements of shock and sympathy. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the shooting “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” stressing the need to reject political violence in all forms.
Just before the shooting, Kirk had posted on social media: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”
His death now leaves TPUSA and its followers reeling, as one of the most recognizable voices of the American conservative youth movement is silenced.