Turning Point USA founder shot mid-sentence while debating mass violence; national leaders condemn attack
Charlie Kirk, 31, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative activist, was assassinated September 10, 2025, during a campus appearance at Utah Valley University. The fatal shot, fired from a building roughly 200 yards away, struck him in the neck as he addressed a student’s question about whether transgender individuals had committed mass shootings. Kirk began to respond, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” when the gunfire cut him off. He collapsed under a white “Prove Me Wrong” tent as blood poured from his neck, and attendees fled in panic. Federal investigators confirmed they are treating the attack as a targeted killing. (AP, Guardian, People)
The assassination occurred at approximately 12:10 p.m. local time, during the opening stop of Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour.” Witnesses described a single crack of gunfire followed by chaos, with students diving for cover. A suspect was briefly detained but later released; as of Wednesday evening, the shooter remains at large. The FBI and ATF are assisting Utah authorities.
Kirk’s death is the latest in a series of high-profile violent attacks, following the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump and the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Leaders from both parties swiftly denounced the violence. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the shooting “detestable” and held a moment of silence in Congress. California Governor Gavin Newsom labeled it “vile and reprehensible.” President Trump, on Truth Social, described Kirk as a “close friend” and praised his influence on America’s youth.
Throughout his career, Kirk became one of the nation’s most vocal advocates for free expression. On X, he once wrote: “The First Amendment and our strict freedom of speech is one of America’s greatest rights and sets us apart from every other country in the world” (Charlie Kirk on X, April 24, 2015). Through Turning Point USA, he sought to challenge prevailing ideologies on campuses, institutions he often described as bastions of intolerance where conservative voices were silenced or marginalized. His “Prove Me Wrong” events were designed to bring students of all perspectives into open debate, directly confronting what he saw as hostility to free thought.
In his personal life, Kirk and his wife had recently begun observing the seventh-day Sabbath, shutting off their phones and dedicating Friday evening to Saturday evening to rest, prayer, and reflection. He credited the practice with helping him resist burnout and remain grounded, saying it restored his focus and faith (Fulcrum7, March 25, 2022).
Kirk’s assassination silenced him in the middle of the kind of discussion that defined his public mission—answering a contentious question in a space where he believed debate should thrive. His death underscores the growing risks faced by public figures on campuses that have increasingly become flashpoints in America’s political and cultural divide.
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