Credit: Alamy
Charlie Kirk Has Died Aged 31
Charlie Kirk has died after being shot in the neck at a campus event in Utah, says President Trump.
Donald Trump announced the death of the right-wing activist on his Truth Social platform.
The statement reads: “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.
“Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
The controversial MAGA influencer was addressing a large crowd of students during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University (UVU) in the U.S. when the incident occurred on Wednesday, September 10.
Footage on social media shows the 31-year-old speaking when a loud bang is heard, and he is seemingly struck in the neck.
He is then depicted shutting his eyes and falling backwards in his seat as blood is seen coming from the wound.
Videos capture the chaotic aftermath, in which the crowd screams and scatters, while several rush towards Kirk.
Emma Pitts, a reporter for Deseret News, was at the event, and she said Kirk was on his second question when the incident occurred, and that it was ‘regarding mass shootings.’
She recounted: “The person he was debating had asked about if he knew how many mass shootings had involved a transgender shooter, to which Kirk responded.”
After, ‘he asked how many mass shootings had [there] been in the last couple of years,’ and ‘before he could even answer, we heard a gunshot, and we just saw Charlie Kirk’s neck turn to the side, and it appeared that he had been shot in the neck.’
When speaking to CNN, she said that following the gunshot, ‘you see Charlie go limp’ and ‘his neck kind of turned, and we saw blood immediately.’
A statement by UVU said shots were fired from a building about 200 yards away.
The Justice Department is investigating the shooting, as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described it as a ‘senseless act of violence.’
Two suspects were taken into custody but were subsequently released.
Spencer Cox, the Governor of Utah, described the incident as a ‘political assassination,’ though the shooter’s identity and motive are still unknown.
Authorities are continuing a manhunt for the activist’s killer.
The shooting of Kirk has been publicly denounced by several political figures, including President Trump.
Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, said political violence has ‘become all too common in American society.’
He told reporters on Capitol Hill: “This is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country… it must stop.
“We can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be called out.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom described the attack as ‘disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.’
Kirk’s death comes against a backdrop of rising political violence in the U.S., following two failed assassination attempts on Trump during his presidential campaign last year.
The activist was the co-founder of Turning Point USA, an American nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.
He also hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a daily talk radio program which explored the ‘inside scoop on the biggest news of the day,’ and ‘what’s really going on behind the headlines.’
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two children.
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