Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot on Wednesday during a public event at Utah Valley University, in what Utah Governor Spencer Cox called a “political assassination.”
Kirk, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump and founder of the influential youth organization Turning Point USA, was addressing a crowd of an estimated 3,000 people as part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
Witnesses and video footage of the event show Kirk being shot in the neck by a single bullet, believed to have been fired from a nearby rooftop. Kirk was rushed to a local hospital but was later pronounced dead.
A manhunt for the shooter is underway, with authorities stating that the two initial arrests were not connected to the crime.
The news of Kirk’s death was confirmed by President Trump. Trump praised Kirk as a “Great, and even Legendary” figure, stating, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.” Trump has ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening in Kirk’s honor.
In a video address from the Oval Office, President Trump called the assassination a “dark moment for America.” While condemning all political violence, he also placed blame on “the radical left,” asserting that their rhetoric had contributed to the attack.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence,” he vowed.
Kirk is survived by his wife and two daughters who were amongst the people in the crowd when he was shot.
