US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot dead Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem. The attack, described by Governor Spencer Cox as “a political assassination”, has triggered a nationwide manhunt.
Witnesses said Kirk was addressing a crowd of about 3,000 when a single gunshot rang out at 12:20 p.m. local time. Videos showed him clutching his neck before collapsing, as terrified spectators ran for cover.
Utah’s Department of Public Safety chief Beau Mason confirmed the sniper fired from a rooftop nest on campus. He said the suspected gunman remained “at large” hours later. Two men were briefly detained but released after no ties were found.
Trump Responds from Oval Office
President Donald Trump posted a video on Truth Social, vowing justice: “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence.”
He ordered flags flown at half-staff nationwide until Sunday and blamed hostile rhetoric: “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis. This rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we’re seeing today.”
Kirk’s Legacy
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA, the largest conservative youth movement in the US. He was praised for mobilising young and minority voters for Trump’s re-election.
With 5.3 million X followers and The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, he remained a prominent voice in Trump’s political orbit.
The shooting happened during Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour”, moments after he had answered a student’s question about mass shootings. His sudden death has sent shockwaves through conservative circles and Washington.
World Leaders React
World leaders warned of the harms of politically-motivated violence following the assassination.
Here’s how world leaders reacted to his killing:
- ‘Dark moment for America’: Trump –
“This is a dark moment for America,” Trump said on a video posted to his Truth Social website hours after Kirk’s killing, hailing Kirk as a “martyr for truth.”
- ‘No justification’: Canada –
“I am appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk. There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X.
- ‘Must be free to debate’: Britain –
“We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear — there can be no justification for political violence,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.
- ‘Deep wound for democracy’: Italy –
“An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom. My condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the American conservative community,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X.
- ‘Murdered for speaking truth’: Israel –
“Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” wrote Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X.
“I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place.”
- ‘Stop the hate-mongering left’: Hungary –
“Charlie Kirk’s death is the result of the international hate campaign waged by the progressive-liberal left,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X.
“This is what led to the attacks on (Slovak Prime Minister) Robert Fico, on (Czech former premier) Andrej Babis, and now on Charlie Kirk. We must stop the hatred! We must stop the hate-mongering left!”
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