Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk Fatally Shot at Utah Campus Event; Trump Calls It a ‘Dark Moment for America’
Conservative activist and prominent Trump ally Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, prompting grief, outrage and a massive law enforcement manhunt for the shooter. He was 31. Utah authorities said the shooting appeared to be a “targeted attack,” with the fatal shot believed to have been fired from the roof of a campus building into a courtyard where Kirk was addressing about 3,000 people. Kirk, who founded the conservative group Turning Point USA at age 18 and was known as a close ally of former President Donald Trump and his family, was married and the father of two young children. “This heinous assassination fills me with grief and anger,” Trump said in a video message posted late Wednesday. Calling the killing “a dark moment for America,” Trump urged authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrator to justice. Two people initially detained near the scene were later released. Utah’s Department of Public Safety said they had “no current ties” to the attack. The shooter remains at large. The university was immediately placed on lockdown as heavily armed officers swept the area. Six campus security officers were on duty at the event, along with members of Kirk’s private security detail. A video circulating online showed Kirk fielding a question about mass shootings moments before a gunshot rang out, sending the crowd screaming and ducking for cover. Press Verify reviewed another clip suggesting the shot originated from a rooftop overlooking the outdoor quad. The killing has roiled political leaders in Washington. The House of Representatives held a moment of silence, but it quickly erupted into partisan shouting. Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert demanded aloud prayers for Kirk, saying, “silent prayers get silent results.” Several Democrats shouted back, “What about the kids in Colorado?” — a reference to a high school shooting that occurred the same day. First Lady Melania Trump also paid tribute, writing on X that Kirk’s children would now grow up with “stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father’s voice should have echoed.” She said his life should serve as a reminder that “compassionate awareness elevates family, love, and country.” As the investigation continues, officials stressed that the community should remain vigilant. “This shooting is still an active investigation,” the Department of Public Safety said. “We are doing everything possible to track down the suspect.”
