Conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Tuesday evening while addressing students at Utah Valley University, in what authorities are calling a targeted political assassination. He was 31.
Kirk had been speaking under a white tent during the first stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” a campus series designed to engage students in debates on free speech and politics. About 20 minutes into the event, as he responded to questions from the audience, a single shot rang out. Witnesses said Kirk collapsed after being struck in the neck, prompting panic as students ducked or fled.
Emergency responders rushed Kirk to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Law enforcement officials say the fatal shot was fired from the roof of a building roughly 200 yards away. A person of interest was briefly taken into custody but later released after investigators determined they were not involved. Authorities have not named a suspect, and the shooter remains at large.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the killing, describing it as “a political assassination” and calling for calm amid heightened national tensions.
Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, built a large following through his media appearances, activism on college campuses, and social media presence. His death has drawn tributes from supporters across the country and renewed debate over the rise in political violence in the United States.
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
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