On Wednesday, Sept. 10, conservative activist and co-founder of conservative think tank Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Kirk was 31 years old and is survived by his wife Erika and their two children. Kirk was born and raised in Illinois and attended Harper College, but dropped out before completing a program.
Kirk first became politically active during his junior year of high school by volunteering for a republican senator’s campaign. Later, he would co-found Turning Point USA, after convincing a prominent republican donor to finance the program.
Kirk was known by most for his significantly controversial takes, many of which he made in debates or in Turning Point USA social media content. He faced public scrutiny for many of these political takes, including denying climate change, promoting theocratic government in America, and the endorsement of known white supremacist and antisemitic “The Great Replacement” theory. Kirk himself was also a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, and in 2023 said, “I think it’s worth [it] to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
Prior to Kirk’s visit, Utah Valley University students had turmoil over whether or not they wanted Kirk on their campus due to these controversies. A variety of petitions existed asking for Kirk to be kept off Utah university campuses, including specifically at Utah Valley. Petitions of this nature had a total of 1,283 signatures asking Kirk not to be allowed to host events at Utah universities.
Kirk was hit with a single shot in the left side of the neck by a gunman hiding on top of a rooftop 142 yards away. Witnesses reported a gush of blood from Kirk’s wound, followed by Kirk going limp and students screaming and dropping to the floor to avoid any further gunfire. Kirk was then grabbed by six security personnel, who carried him to an SUV, which transported him to Timpanogos Regional Hospital. Less than twenty minutes later, it was announced that Kirk had died from his injuries.
Many political figures from both the left and right have spoken out against political violence and paid respects to Kirk. President Trump, who was close to Kirk, announced his passing after the news first broke that he had been shot. Trump then mourned Kirk in several posts to his social media, and ordered the flags at the White House to be flown at half-staff.
Other politicians and liberal activists have put out their sentiments regarding Kirk, with Barack Obama saying on X, “This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.” Rival podcaster and liberal political influencer Dean Withers cried at the news of Kirk’s death and said on X, “Gun Violence Is Never Okay. Keep Charlie Kirk in your Prayers.”
The American flag is typically only flown at half-staff during national holidays like Memorial Day or after the death of a significant government official. Previously, during the Trump Administration, when Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, alongside their beloved dog, were killed in their home in an act of political violence, the flag was not flown at half-staff at the White House. Trump’s public mourning of Kirk but not the Democratic representative has sparked controversy. When asked if it would have been fitting to lower the flags for the Minnesota state Rep’s death by Nancy Cordes, Trump said, “I’m not familiar. The who?” Cordes had to explain who Hortman was and what happened to her to Trump before he replied, “Oh.”
22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson is currently in custody. Robinson is accused of killing Kirk with a Mauser Model 98 bolt-action rifle and has no prior criminal record. Before Robinson’s identification and arrest, a wave of threats was sent to 60 historically black college campuses, which Representative Yvette D. Clarke called “terroristic.” A bomb threat was also made to the Democratic National Committee, which was deemed not credible. These threats are believed to be caused by political extremism related to Kirk’s death. Robinson is expected to be charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. Inscriptions have been found on bullets owned by Robinson. Three revealed inscriptions read, “Hey Fascists, Catch!” and the lyrics of Italian folk song “Bella Ciao,” a song associated with the anti-fascist resistance during World War ll.
At this time, Robinson is believed to have acted alone. Robinson has no declared political party and has not voted in the last two presidential elections, but expressed a dislike of Kirk to family members. Robinson was apprehended after a person close to him contacted the police and turned him in. The shooting of Kirk, combined with the same-day white supremacy-fueled Colorado Evergreen High School shooting, has left many Americans concerned about the availability of rifles. “The killing of Charlie Kirk would not have required an expert marksman, according to multiple firearms experts. They said the weaponry available today would allow even a novice shooter to pull off such a hit, making tragedies like this exceedingly difficult to prevent,” said Rich Schapiro with NBC.
Sources: CBS News, Change.org, NY Times, Wikipedia, NBC News, The Guardian
