Anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing firebrand Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah Valley University
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent right-wing activist, was shot and killed on Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University during a stop on his “American Comeback Tour.”
The incident occurred as Kirk was responding to a question about mass shootings and transgender perpetrators, according to multiple witnesses and video circulating on social media.
In the video, an audience member asked Kirk, “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kirk responded, “Too many,” drawing cheers from the crowd. The questioner then stated the number was five and followed with, “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last ten years?” Kirk asked, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Moments later, a single gunshot rang out, and Kirk appeared to flinch as though struck.
Former Rep. and Fox News commentator Jason Chaffetz, who was in attendance, said that the exchange about “transgender shooters” and “mass killings” was the second question Kirk had taken when the shot was fired. “When that happened, when that question came out … one shot,” Chaffetz said. He added that audience members immediately “hit the deck.”
Witnesses reported Kirk was hit near the neck, the Deseret News reported. A campuswide alert confirmed a shot was fired at a visiting speaker, and Utah Valley University quickly went into lockdown.
George Zinn, a man with a history of arrests for violent behavior, was taken into custody near the scene but later released. Utah state Sen. Todd Weiler said Zinn was not the shooter. In video captured at the event, a police officer was heard saying, “He said he shot him, but I don’t know.”
Despite early reports that a suspect was in custody, UVU spokesperson Scott Trotter later clarified the situation. “We can confirm that Mr. Kirk was shot, but we don’t know his condition. The suspect is not in custody. Police are still investigating. Campus is closed for the rest of the day.”
Officials said the shot appeared to have been fired from the top of UVU’s Losee Center, though it was unclear whether the shooter was inside or outside the building.
President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk’s death via a social media post.
Democratic politicians across social media condemned the attack, calling it “reprehensible,” “disgusting,” and “vile.”
“Political violence is unacceptable and has no place in this country,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “We cannot ever accept this epidemic of gun violence as normal. We cannot keep living like this.”
