Charlie Kirk, the conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University. President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk’s death on social media.
• As Trump remade the Republican Party, Kirk embodied the party’s newfound populist conservatism in the social media age. Trump has credited Kirk with galvanizing and mobilizing the youth vote for him.
• The suspect in the shooting is not yet in custody, according to a spokesperson from the university, despite the school saying earlier that police had someone in custody.
“The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” wrote the American leader on his Truth Social account.
“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.”
The mayor of Orem, David Young, has said the suspect in the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University remains at large.
Earlier, witnesses said they heard shots fired from a nearby building as Mr Kirk spoke, a university spokesperson told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
Videos on social media show Mr Kirk talking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong”.
A single shot is heard and Mr Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood comes out from the left side of his neck. He then falls off his chair.
A university spokesperson confirmed he had been shot in the neck. He was then taken to hospital by private security and underwent surgery.
President Trump earlier asked people to pray for the activist.
The father-of-two was the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.
The university had said a suspect was in custody but later clarified that was not the case.
Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November’s presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.
President Trump often spoken favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.
During a rally in Washington the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr 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 22 December 2024, Mr Trump called Mr 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,” Mr Trump said.
The president, on the campaign trail last June, also lauded Mr Kirk at a Turning Point Action town hall in Phoenix, saying, “I want to thank a special person, Charlie Kirk, for his tremendous leadership.”
Who was Charlie Kirk? A MAGA spokesman to young people across America?
For many young people on the right of American politics, Charlie Kirk was an icon.
He was 31-years-old, a media personality, podcaster, an author and the founder of Turning Point USA.
The non-profit organisation champions conservative politics in schools, colleges and university campuses. It has been described as one of the fastest-growing organisations of its types in America.
He had a huge following with his podcast consistently charting in the top 20.
According to NBC News, The Charlie Kirk Show is being downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times each day. It consistently charts highly on Spotify and Apple.
Across social media, he had a huge following with more than 7.3 million followers on TikTok, 7 million on Instagram, 5 million on X and 3.5 million on YouTube.
A popular political activist, he spent much of his time travelling to college campuses across the country, encouraging debate and promoting conservative values.
A big supporter of President Trump and somewhat of a MAGA spokesman to young people across America, he publicly promoted conservative, Trump-aligned causes and often debated with people opposed to his views.
Born in Chicago in 1993, he was attracted to politics early, volunteering for the US Senate campaign of Illinois Republican Mark Kirk (no relation) during his high school years.
He was accused by critics of promoting falsehoods and conspiracy theories on issues including COVID-19, climate change and the 2020 US election.
Responding to the January 6th 2021 riots on Capitol Hill, he said it was not an insurrection but that the rioters did not represent the mainstream of Mr Trump’s support.
A day before the riots, in support of what he believed to be a stolen election, he wrote on X that he was organising for “buses of patriots” to Washington to “fight for the president”.
Given his following among young people across America, this could be a moment of political jeopardy for the country.
Is this the spark which brings people together or drives the divide dangerously deeper?
Source: graphic.com.gh