Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot dead

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has been shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University, Orem. He was 31.

The shocking incident happened on Wednesday while Kirk was taking questions under a tent bearing the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”

Moments before the gunfire, an audience member pressed him on gun violence.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked.

Kirk replied: “Too many.”

The questioner pushed again: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”

“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk shot back.

Then, a single gunshot tore through the courtyard.

A viral video shows Kirk clutching his neck as blood poured out, triggering chaos as students screamed and fled.

Trump confirmed Kirk’s death on Truth Social, calling him “Great, and even Legendary,” adding, “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”

The suspected shooter is still on the run. A man earlier detained on campus has since been cleared, according to law enforcement sources.

The event had been divisive from the start. Nearly 1,000 students signed a petition demanding the university cancel Kirk’s appearance, but administrators insisted on upholding First Amendment rights. Just days ago, Kirk mocked the controversy on X, posting: “What’s going on in Utah?”

Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who witnessed the shooting, said on Fox News he saw Kirk slump backward after one close-range shot.
“It seemed like it was a close shot,” Chaffetz said, lamenting the “light police presence” at the event.