Trump activist dies after rally shooting
Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA, has died after being shot at a Utah college event.
Source: Fox News / X
US right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, an influential ally of President Donald Trump, has been fatally shot in the neck at an event at a Utah university.
“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,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday (US time).
In a following post, Trump said he was ordering American flags across the US to be lowered to half-mast until Sunday night.
A university spokesperson said police had no suspects in custody. It came after it had earlier reported someone had been detained.
You might like
Mobile phone video clips of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk speaking to a large outdoor crowd at the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah, when a loud crack that sounded like a gunshot rang out. Kirk moved his hand toward his neck as he fell off his chair, sending the crowd running.
In another clip, blood can be seen gushing from Kirk’s neck immediately after the shot. Reuters has not confirmed the authenticity of the videos.
Kirk and the group he co-founded, Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth organisation in the country, played a key role in driving young voter support for Trump at last year’s presidential elections.
His appearance on Wednesday was the first in a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” at universities across the US. He often used such events, typically drawing large crowds of students, to invite attendees to debate him live. Before he was shot, Kirk was sitting at what he calls a “Prove Me Wrong” table to field questions.
Stay informed, daily
Kirk had 5.3 million followers on X and hosted a popular podcast and radio program, The Charlie Kirk Show. He had also recently co-hosted Fox & Friends on Fox News.
He was part of an ecosystem of pro-Trump conservative influencers – including Jack Posobiec, Laura Loomer, Candace Owens and others – who have helped to amplify the President’s agenda. Kirk frequently attacked mainstream media and engaged in culture war issues around race, gender and immigration, often in a provocative style.
Both Republican and Democratic politicians expressed support for Kirk following the shooting.
“Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,” Vice President JD Vance, who was close to Kirk, wrote on X.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence,” former president Joe Biden said in a post on X.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X. “In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
– with AAP
