Conservative activist and influential Trump ally Charlie Ki.rk has died after being shot at a campus event in Utah.
The shooting took place in the courtyard at Utah Valley University, located about 64km (40 miles) south of Salt Lake City. Kirk was shot about 20 minutes after he began speaking at approximately 12:10pm local time. A spokeswoman for the university said Kirk was hit by a shot fired from the roof of the school’s Losee Center, a campus building about 180 metres (200 yards) from the event area.
Kirk was on a speaking tour, and his stop at Utah Valley University was the first of at least 15 scheduled events at universities around the country as part of his “American Comeback Tour”. Before the shooting, he was seated at his “Prove Me Wrong” debating table, taking questions from an audience outdoors.
Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions for an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” an audience members asked. Kirk responded: “Too many.”
The questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked.
Then a single shot rang out.
Video of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk speaking to a large outdoor crowd when a loud crack, a gunshot, rings out. Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people begin to run away.
Kirk’s wife and children were present during the incident.
Though he was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital after being shot in the neck, doctors pronounced him dead a few hours later.
The suspected shooter has not been arrested, Orem, Utah, Mayor David Young said. Law enforcement authorities initially took a man named George Zinn into custody as a suspect, but later released him and charged him with obstruction by UVU police. A second suspect, Zachariah Qureshi, was later taken into custody, but he was also released after interrogation. The official statement said that neither of these individuals is linked to the shooting currently.
The probe, being conducted jointly by the Utah DPS and the FBI, along with the Utah County Attorney’ office, the County Sheriffs’ office and local police departments, is still underway.
President Trump said he is “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination”, calling it a “dark moment for America”.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!” he posted on Truth Social.
Vice President JD Vance penned a heartfelt eulogy for Kirk on X. “A while ago, probably in 2017, I appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show to talk about God knows what. Afterwards a name I barely knew sent me a DM on twitter and told me I did a great job. It was Charlie Kirk, and that moment of kindness began a friendship that lasted until today.”
Vance heaped praises on his ‘true friend’ and recalled memories of their interactions. “You ran a good race, my friend. We’ve got it from here,” he said.
In a television interview on Fox News, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he was “very angry with what happened today”. “Obviously they gotta catch this guy. We need a very quick death penalty prosecution. I don’t wanna see this take forever and a day. We need justice for this,” he said.
Utah Valley University campus will be closed for the rest of the week.
(Agencies; Picture Courtesy: AP)
