Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on Wednesday while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem, President Donald Trump said.
Kirk, 31, was shot at least once in the neck just after noon local time, about 20 minutes into his event, according to statements from UVU.
A university spokeswoman said that Kirk was shot by a rifle from the Losee Center, about 200 yards away from where he had been speaking.
A suspect was not in custody, according to UVU’s spokeswoman. Students earlier had described an older man being taken into custody.
UVU closed its campus and cancelled classes, telling people still on campus to “secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus.”
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote.
“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk appears at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025.
Trent Nelson/the Salt Lake Tribu | Via Reuters
Kirk, who was married with two children, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he had been in surgery before Trump announced his death.
Kirk was the co-founder of Turning Point USA and head of multiple related political organizations. HIs movement aimed at young conservatives has raised hundreds of millions of dollars.
A staunch Trump supporter, Kirk also was a person friend to a number of top officials in Trump’s administration.
He was at Utah Valley University on Wednesday for the first stop on Turning Point’s “American Comeback Tour,” according to the group’s website.
The event featured Kirk seated at his “prove me wrong table,” a format in which he debates with people who challenge his views.
UVU is Utah’s largest public university, with nearly 47,000 enrolled students as of fall 2023.
Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican congressman from Utah, in an interview with Fox News said he was at the event, and that Kirk had been asked a question about “transgender shootings, mass shootings.”
“As soon as this shot rang out, everybody hit the deck, and then everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine,” Chaffetz said. “I can’t say I saw blood. I can’t say I saw him get shot, but as soon as that shot went out, he fell back into his left and everybody hit the deck.”
U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd shortly before he was shot at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025.
Trent Nelson/the Salt Lake Tribu | Via Reuters
Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, tweeted a biblical verse after the shooting.
“Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” Erika Kirk wrote.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, said, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,”
“A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” wrote Trump.
The scene after U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk was shot at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025.
Trent Nelson/the Salt Lake Tribu | Via Reuters
FBI Director Kash Patel said, “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected.”
FBI agents and Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms agents were at the shooting scene, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Shortly before the news of the shooting broke, Kirk’s official X account tweeted about the event.
“WE. ARE. SO. BACK,” Kirk wrote. “Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”
Charlie Kirk speaks during a town hall meeting Monday, March 17, 2025, in Oconomowoc, Wis.
Jeffrey Phelps | AP
Kirk was scheduled to return to Utah on Sept. 30 for a similar event at Utah State University.
An online petition seeking to bar Kirk from speaking at that school garnered nearly 6,900 signatures.
“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and young father,” Vice President JD Vance said in a tweet.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that he is “praying for my friend Charlie Kirk during this difficult time.”
Blanche said the Department of Justice “is actively investigating this senseless act of violence.”
California 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,” Newsom wrote.
— CNBC’s Erin Doherty contributed to this story.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
