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Live updates: Trump says Charlie Kirk is dead after being shot at Utah university event

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1 year ago

Live updates: Trump says Charlie Kirk is dead after being shot at Utah university event

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By NBC News

What we know

Right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was shot at an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University in Orem, just north of Provo.
President Trump said on Truth Social that Kirk is dead.
Kirk was removed from the premises by his security team, the school said.
Videos circulating online show Kirk recoiling after a shot was heard, with blood pouring from his neck.
A university spokesperson said they do not have a suspect in custody. The school previously said in an alert that police had a suspect detained.

6m ago / 1:44 PM PDT

Trump says Charlie Kirk is dead

Matt Lavietes

Charlie Kirk is dead, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.

“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump added. “Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

8m ago / 1:42 PM PDT

Witness: ‘I saw the shot, heard it, then just dropped to the ground’

Witness: ‘I saw the shot, heard it, then just dropped to the ground’

06:07

36m ago / 1:14 PM PDT

No suspect in custody, university says

Lindsay Good and Doha Madani

Authorities do not have a suspect in custody, according to Utah Valley University spokesperson Ellen Treanor.

The school had said earlier in an alert that police had detained a suspect.

42m ago / 1:09 PM PDT

No security to get into Kirk’s event, bystander says

Doha Madani

Despite the large crowd Kirk drew to Utah Valley University, witness Tyler McGettigan said he was surprised that he didn’t have to pass any security to get in.

The event required a ticket with a scannable code, which McGettigan told NBC News that he printed out and brought with him. But he said that he didn’t need it to get into the amphitheater where Kirk was speaking.

“I was expecting when I got here that I’d have to pass through some kind of security, but that just wasn’t a thing,” McGettigan said. “No one checked the barcode or the QR code. There was no checkpoint to get in. It was literally, anyone could walk in if they wanted.”

Charlie Kirk at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday.Trent Nelson / The Salt Lake Tribune via Reuters

46m ago / 1:05 PM PDT

Suspect shot Kirk from nearby building, university says

Lindsay Good and Matt Lavietes

A spokesperson for Utah Valley University said in a statement that the suspect shot Kirk from the university’s Losee Center, roughly 200 feet away from where he was sitting.

The suspect, who has been taken into custody, is not a student, the spokesperson added.

Video shows Kirk shooting, crowd dispersing at Utah event

00:24

53m ago / 12:57 PM PDT

Vance shares photo with Kirk

Ben Kamisar and Henry J. Gomez

Vice President JD Vance shared a photo of him with Charlie Kirk, as well as Donald Trump Jr. and political aide Andy Surabian, as he asked for prayers for Kirk after he was shot.

Kirk is a well-known conservative activist who is close with key members of President Trump’s political operation, including Vance and Donald Trump Jr. And Kirk helped push for Vance to be chosen as Trump’s running mate, NBC News reported at the time.

1h ago / 12:42 PM PDT

Utah Valley University cancels classes, tells people to leave campus

Doha Madani

Campus is closed and classes are canceled until further notice at Utah Valley University.

The school urged everyone to leave campus immediately in a post on X following the shooting.

1h ago / 12:37 PM PDT

Kirk is shot and hospitalized, Turning Point USA says

Doha Madani and Cristian Santana

A spokesperson for Turning Point USA confirmed to NBC News that Kirk has been shot.

“He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,” the organization said.

Turning Point USA on Charlie Kirk: ‘We are praying for him at this time’

00:29

1h ago / 12:26 PM PDT

Witness describes a loud shot and ‘a bunch of blood’

Doha Madani and Ben Kamisar

Justin Hickens, who said he was about 20 yards from the shooting, told NBC News’ Tom Llamas that he saw Kirk get hit after a gunshot rang out during the event at Utah Valley University.

Witness says he saw Charlie Kirk ‘go limp’ after being shot

08:49

“We heard a big loud shot, I saw a bunch of blood come out of Charlie, I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground,” Hickens said.

After a few moments, people started running out of the outdoor pavilion area, knocking over barricades. Hickens said he slowed down once he realized there were no more shots being fired and he felt safe.

“I kind of turned around and all of a sudden I saw officers walking with this very elderly gentleman with white hair,” Hickens said. “They had him arrested, they had him on his knees and he was screaming about his rights and all that stuff. They cuffed him and put him away.”

There was no metal detectors to get into the event, Hickens said, though there was security by Kirk himself.

1h ago / 12:24 PM PDT

Trump has often complimented, appeared with Kirk

+2

Sarah Dean, Megan Shannon and Alexandra Marquez

President Donald Trump has often spoken favorably about Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.

During a rally in Washington the day before he was sworn in to a second term in January, Trump told attendees: “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”

A few weeks before, during a rally in Las Vegas on Dec. 22, 2024, Trump called Kirk “incredible,” adding that he “is a special talent, and he’s out there fighting.”

The president, then a candidate for the White House, also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix.

“I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy,” Trump said.

The president, on the campaign trail last June, also lauded Kirk at a Turning Point Action town hall in Phoenix, saying, “I want to thank a special person, Charlie Kirk, for his tremendous leadership.”

1h ago / 12:21 PM PDT

Jiachuan Wu

2h ago / 12:14 PM PDT

Who is Charlie Kirk: A prominent young conservative activist

Ben Kamisar

Kirk is a 31-year-old conservative activist and father of two who helped found Turning Point USA, a prominent nonprofit that activates conservative youth on school campuses.

A well-known supporter of President Donald Trump and a close ally of many in his circle, Kirk spoke at the 2024 presidential convention just days after an assassination attempt on Trump.

2h ago / 12:12 PM PDT

Elected officials react to reports of shooting, ask for thoughts and prayers for Kirk family

Alexandra Marquez and Rebecca Kaplan

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted to reports that Charlie Kirk had been shot, with many sending prayers to the Kirk family.

“Pls join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a post on X.

“Our prayers are with Charlie Kirk,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said, also on X.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote in her own post that, “Charlie Kirk has been shot! Pray for him!”

Several other senators, who were in and around the U.S. Capitol during the shooting, reacted to the news.

“Charlie is a very, actually, a very good friend of mine. It’s, it scares you to death for he and his family,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters,

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters that news of the shooting was, “shocking and tragic.”

“We’re all praying Charlie is going to be okay,” Cornyn added.

Among notable Democrats, California Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in on X, writing, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., also posted about the shooting, writing on X that the news is “horrific.”

“Let’s hope he is well and keep him and his families in your prayers,” Gallego added.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., wrote in his own post on X that, “The news that Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking in Utah is shocking and horrible. It’s an example of political violence that has no place in our country.”

Kelly added that he and his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was the victim of a shooting in 2010, are “thinking of him and his family.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was giving a speech on the Senate floor this afternoon and addressed reports of the shooting, saying that, “we are all horrified watching images and following the news out of Utah, and we are sending all of our thoughts to Mr. Kirk, to his family, to survivors there.”

2h ago / 12:10 PM PDT

Utah Valley is the state’s largest public university

David K. Li

While BYU, the University of Utah and Utah Valley are probably the best-known schools in Utah, UVU calls itself the Beehive State’s biggest public university with more than 46,000 students.

The school was established in 1941 as Central Utah Vocational School and renamed Utah Valley College in 1993.

The Orem institution is about 40 miles south of the state capital, Salt Lake City.

2h ago / 12:05 PM PDT

Trump addresses shooting

Matt Lavietes

President Donald Trump just addressed the shooting on his social media site, Truth Social.

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” Trump wrote. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”

2h ago / 12:03 PM PDT

Suspect in custody, university says

Michael Kosnar

Suspect in custody after Charlie Kirk shot at Utah Valley University event

02:56

A suspect is in custody and police are investigating the shooting, Utah Valley University told students in an alert this afternoon.

2h ago / 12:00 PM PDT

Videos online show Kirk recoiling after shot heard

Doha Madani

Videos circulating across social media show the moment a shot is heard in the crowd.

Kirk was sat in a tent with the “American Comeback Tour” logo when a shot is heard and Kirk physically recoils, slumping down in his seat. Blood is seen flowing down from his neck and the crowd audibly panics and begins to run.

Video captures moment Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah event

02:00

2h ago / 11:58 AM PDT

FBI monitoring shooting reports; Vance asks people to pray for Kirk

The FBI is closely monitoring reports of a shooting involving Kirk, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

“Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected,” Patel wrote in a post on X. “Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”

Vice President JD Vance responded to reports that Kirk was shot, encouraging others to “say a prayer” for the right-wing activist in a post on X.

2h ago / 11:56 AM PDT

Kirk on campus for ‘American Comeback Tour’ appearance

Doha Madani

Kirk was being hosted by the Utah Valley University chapter of Turning Point USA.

The organization’s website shows a series of dates at college campuses across the country. The University of Minesosta at Northrop described it as a “high-energy evening featuring a candid conversation about conservative values.”

2h ago / 11:56 AM PDT

Kirk was the only person shot, university says

Matt Lavietes

A spokesperson for Utah Valley University said that Kirk was the sole person shot at the event.

2h ago / 11:48 AM PDT

Sen. Mike Lee says he’s ‘praying for Charlie Kirk’

Gavon Laessig

2h ago / 11:47 AM PDT

Charlie Kirk taken off campus after shots heard, university says

Doha Madani and Lindsay Good

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was about 20 minutes into a presentation when witnesses heard shots fired from a nearby building, a spokesperson for Utah Valley University told NBC News.

The spokesperson said, to the best of the university’s knowledge, Kirk was hit and taken with his security team away from the premises, and the courtyard was cleared.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/live-updates-shooting-charlie-kirk-event-utah-rcna230437

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