Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was 31.
Kirk, best known for his combative campus debates as co-founder of Turning Point USA, was addressing students when a single shot rang out. Cellphone video shows him answering a question about mass shootings before collapsing.
Authorities believe the shot was fired from an academic building 100–200 yards away. Police initially detained a suspect but later released him, and officers are still conducting building-to-building searches. Utah officials described the killing as a “targeted attack.”
Kirk’s wife and two young children were reportedly on campus at the time, according to a state senator.
President Trump paid tribute to Kirk in a social media post, calling him a “truly Great American Patriot.” He ordered U.S. flags flown at half-mast until Sunday evening.
As tributes poured in, some critics resurfaced old tweets from Kirk opposing gun control. In one, he mocked President Joe Biden’s call to ban high-capacity magazines, writing:
“Joe Biden wants to ban ‘magazines that hold multiple bullets.’ That would ban nearly every gun in America — including a majority of pistols. These are the people coming for your guns: Zero understanding of how they work but never in doubt of their views.”
Kirk’s death has reignited debate over gun rights and political violence in the U.S., coming amid a string of recent attacks on public figures.
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