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Charlie Kirk, a leading conservative activist, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. The attack has sparked a widespread manhunt and condemnation across political lines.
Right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk at a Utah Valley University speaking event. (Reuters)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 11, 2025 09:17 IST
Charlie Kirk, a conservative firebrand and a central figure in Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, was shot dead on Wednesday while speaking before thousands at Utah Valley University. The moment was caught on camera and showed the crowd screaming and fleeing in panic.
The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA had just begun answering a question about gun violence when a single crack echoed across the outdoor plaza.
Blood poured from Kirk's neck. For a moment, he clutched the microphone, then collapsed.
"Get down! Get down!" one audience member shouted as chaos broke out.
"Go! Run! Go!" another screamed, as the crowd of more than 3,000 scattered in every direction, some slipping on the pavement and others scrambling over benches to escape.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the shooter fired only once in what investigators believe was “a targeted attack towards one individual.” The shot appeared to have been fired “potentially from a roof,” Mason said.
Two people initially detained as suspects were later released. A door-to-door manhunt for the assailant is still underway.
Within minutes, graphic videos of the killing flooded social media. One clip, showing Kirk clutching his wound in high resolution, racked up more than 11 million views on X, even before he was pronounced dead two hours later.
Copies quickly spread across Instagram, Threads, YouTube and Telegram, where they were repackaged alongside archival footage of the activist, New York Times reported.
The assassination drew swift condemnation across party lines. Trump called it a “dark day for America” and vowed to crack down on political violence.
“Charlie was a warrior for our movement and for the future of our country,” the US President said in a statement.
A top podcaster, Kirk rose to prominence as a sharp-tongued defender of Trump’s populist conservatism and a provocateur on college campuses. He embraced Christian nationalism, sparred with progressives and dismissed critics who accused him of stoking polarisation.
In past speeches, he defended gun rights in blunt terms, once declaring it was “worth it to have some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
His appearance at Utah Valley University had already drawn backlash. Thousands had signed petitions demanding its cancellation.
- Ends
With Associated Press inputs
Published By:
Devika Bhattacharya
Published On:
Sep 11, 2025
