OREM, Utah — Turning Point USA founder and political activist Charlie Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah college campus.
The conservative youth movement founded by Kirk, Turning Point USA, confirmed he was shot at Utah Valley University, but initially did not give any details about his condition, The Associated Press reported.
“We are confirming that he was shot and we are praying for Charlie,” Aubrey Laitsch, Turning Point USA public relations manager, said, shortly after the shooting, according to the AP.
President Donald Trump: ‘Charlie Kirk, is dead.’
Update 4:45 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Kirk has died.
Spokesperson Andrew Kolvert confirmed Kirk’s death, The New York Times reported.
Turning Point USA told employees and supporters in a note: “It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” CNN reported.
Kirk, 31, leaves behind his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and two children, The Washington Post reported.
Images from the scene
Alleged shooter not in custody, university spokesperson says
Update 4:19 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Despite school officials saying earlier that the alleged shooter was in custody, posting it to X, Utah Valley University spokesperson Scott Trotter said in a statement, “The suspect is not in custody,” CNN and the Deseret News reported.
This screengrab shows the tweet that went out earlier Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the shooting occurred.
Officials had detained a person, as shown on videos from the scene, but officials said that person was not the alleged gunman, The New York Times reported.
Utah Valley University: What to know
Update 4:05 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, under 40 miles south of Salt Lake City and about 8 miles north of Provo.
According to the school’s website, “Utah Valley University is an integrated university and community college that educates every student for success in work and life through excellence in engaged teaching, personalized services, and rigorous scholarship.”
The university said that in the fall of 2023, it had more than 46,809 students enrolled, with an additional 16,699 high school students having concurrent enrollment.
The school’s leadership said the campus “welcomes everyone” and has “42 countries represented in the student body, 28% of our students are nontraditional (25+ years old)” and that “37% of our students are first-generation.”
The school’s president, Dr. Astrid Tuminez, is the university’s seventh president and was appointed in 2018. She is the school’s first female president.
Scheduled to speak at Dartmouth
Update 3:59 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Kirk was scheduled to take the tour to Dartmouth on Sept. 25. The college’s president, Sian Beilock, said that a bipartisan group of students invited the conservative activist to the campus and that tickets sold out within 10 minutes of being available, the AP reported.
Critical condition, AP reports
Update 3:47 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: The AP reported that Kirk is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the public.
The shot was fired from about 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking from a campus building, CNN reported.
An aide with the Turning Point USA organization said that Kirk traveled with private security when he was speaking to crowds, no matter the size.
University and local police were also on hand providing security at the event, CNN reported.
FBI, ATF on scene
Update 3:36 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X, “FBI and ATF agents are on the scene,” The Washington Post reported.
Single shot
Update 3:31 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: The AP said video showed Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent when a single shot rang out. Kirk then reached up to his neck, where blood was gushing out. The AP said it confirmed that the video was recorded at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have condemned the shooting.
Senate Republican Leader John Thune said, “There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” CNN reported.
White House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote, “political violence is NEVER acceptable,” adding, “My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”
Original report: Fox News said he was taken to a hospital.
The extent of his injuries has not been confirmed, CNN reported.
The Deseret News reported that a suspect was in custody and that the campus was in lockdown, with an alert sent to students.
Former Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz was at the event and said that when shots rang out, Kirk had taken a question that Chaffetz said was a “religious question,” followed by a second question about “transgender shootings” and “mass killings.”
“When that happened, when that question came out, and he’s, you know, he’s going to have the interaction, one shot. I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards and to his left,” Chaffetz told Fox News, according to CNN.
“As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine. And I went from watching Charlie Kirk to looking over to make sure our daughter and our son-in-law were okay,” Chaffetz said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he is being briefed about the situation.
President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM.”
Vice President JD Vance posted on X, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is “closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
CNN called Kirk “one of the most prominent pro-Trump activists and conservative media personalities in the United States.”
The Washington Post said his Turning Point USA “advocates for conservative politics at high schools and colleges‚" and that the event was sponsored by Utah Valley University’s chapter of the organization.
Less than a half-hour before the shooting, Kirk had posted to his X account, “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”
Kirk, according to earlier reports, was supposed to host his “prove me wrong” table, allowing audience members to try to stump him, KSL reported.
He was scheduled to return to Utah on Sept. 30 for the same type of event at Utah State University, but thousands of people had signed a petition to stop him from visiting the campus.
The petition said, “Utah State University has consistently worked toward fostering an inclusive space for all its students and faculty. Letting a figurehead, whose speeches often seem to undermine the essence of inclusivity, use our beloved institution as a platform contradicts this mission,” according to KSL.
A similar petition had been started before today’s visit to Utah Valley University, but had fewer than 1,000 signatures.
Check back for more on this developing story.