Far-right political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed yesterday at Utah Valley University. He was there to kick off his American Comeback Tour, and was just 20 minutes into the event when the shooting occurred. A suspect was taken into custody late Wednesday afternoon.
Kirk was about to respond to a question regarding mass shootings when he was shot in the neck. In videos circulating on social media, Kirk can be seen jerking his head back before collapsing. Authorities believe the shooter was in a building about 200 yards away.
UVU student Lily Mann, who watched the event from a university parking garage, said chaos erupted immediately following the shooting.
“Everyone froze for a second and then dropped and ran,” she said. “Everyone was just running and trying to get out of the area. I was waiting to see if he was gonna keep shooting.”
Mann said while trying to leave, she saw another driver run over a student’s leg and keep driving. No other shots were reported.
Despite a rise in political violence in recent years, several witness reports claim there was little to no security for the event. To enter the event, students needed a ticket but many weren’t even checked.
Mann said nobody was fighting before the shooting and the crowd seemed generally in favor of Kirk. While she didn’t expect a shooting, she wasn’t surprised to see violence.
“With how our world is, I’m not surprised. I went in prepared for anything to happen just because of how crazy people are,” she said.
President Donald Trump broke the news of Kirk’s death via X early in the afternoon. He called Kirk “legendary” and praised his life and platform.
Kirk was the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, a far-right and controversial platform geared towards young adults. The American Comeback tour was sponsored by Turning Point USA; Kirk debates students on college campuses across the U.S. He was set to debate at Utah State University at the end of September.
In an address to Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox called Kirk’s death a “political assassination.” He said, “We are celebrating 250 years of this nation, of that founding document with certain unalienable rights. The first one is life. Today a life was taken.”
A suspect was arrested immediately after the shooting, but was released after talking with authorities. A second person of interest was later taken into custody but a manhunt continues.
The Utah System of High Education said in a statement. “We are saddened and disturbed by today’s violence on one of our campuses … We believe strongly that Utah’s campuses must remain places where individuals can share and debate differing viewpoints openly and respectfully.”
In light of yesterday’s events, President Mindy Benson sent out an email that afternoon to Southern Utah University students and staff members, reminding them of available resources which include Counseling and Psychological Services, TimelyCare and campus emergency notifications.
Author: Hannah Clove
Editor: Heather Turner
Photo Courtesy of Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune
news@suunews.net
