Summary
- Charlie
Kirk, Turning Point USA founder, was shot Wednesday. - The
incident occurred during an event at Utah Valley University. - Kirk
is in critical condition at hospital. - Suspect
apprehended; FBI and ATF investigating.
Videos of Kirk being struck while lecturing and sitting
under a tent in the Utah Valley University courtyard have gone viral on social
media. Kirk was there as a member of the Utah Valley branch of TPUSA, which
hosts The American Comeback Tour. Additionally, there is video of students
fleeing the campus after hearing gunshots.
Kirk is in critical condition at a hospital, a law
enforcement officer told the Associated Press.
“It doesn’t look
good,”
a TPUSA official told CBS of Kirk, confirming that he had been
wounded in the neck.
In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, the university said:
“UVU campus is closed. Classes cancelled. Those on campus, secure in place
until police officers can escort you safely off campus. We ask for your
patience throughout this process. We are providing updates as best as possible.
This is an ongoing and unfolding event.”
According to a Utah Valley University spokeswoman who talked
to the New York Times, Kirk was hit by a suspect who fired from a building some
200 yards away.
Although he had previously stated
that there was a suspect in custody, university spokesperson Scott Trotter also
told the Times that
“a person who was taken into custody after the
shooting was not actually the shooter.”
No suspect is being held.
Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, said on X that
“those responsible will be held fully accountable” and that he would
“continue to share updates.”
“Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of
every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are
with Charlie, his family, and all those affected,”
he wrote.
Mike Lee, a Utah senator, posted on X shortly after reports
broke that Kirk had been shot to say he is
“tracking the situation at Utah
Valley University closely. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the
students gathered there.”
Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“We must all pray for
Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS
HIM!”
JD Vance, the vice-president, tweeted:
“Say a prayer for
Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
Those sentiments were
echoed by the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth:
“Prayers for Charlie Kirk. An
incredible Christian, American, and human being. May the healing hand of Jesus
Christ be upon him.”
The FBI director, Kash Patel, said the FBI is
“closely
monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley
University … Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full
support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
Eyewitnesses told the Guardian that Kirk was being
questioned about mass shootings when he was shot in the neck.
Deseret News reporter Emma Pitts, who was at the event, said
that Kirk was on his second question and that it was “regarding mass
shootings”.
“The person he was debating had asked about if he knew how
many mass shootings had involved a transgender shooter to which Kirk
responded,”
Pitts said. Then,
“he asked how many mass shootings had [there]
been in the last couple of years”
and
“before he could even answer, we heard a
gunshot and we just saw Charlie Kirk’s neck turn to the side and it appeared
that he had been shot in the neck”.
“There was blood, immediately a lot of blood,”
Pitts said.
“After the shots were fired, everyone immediately took to the ground … we were
just trying to stay hidden.”
Another reporter from Deseret News who attended the event,
Eva Terry, told the Guardian that the gunfire appeared to have come from the
middle to the right side of the crowd.
The suspect seemed to be “an older gentleman, probably
in his late 50s to 60s, wearing what looks like a worker’s uniform,” Terry
stated in his description.
California Governor Gavin Newsom swiftly denounced the
shooting, calling “the attack on Charlie Kirk” “disgusting,
vile, and reprehensible.” We in the United States of America must oppose
all forms of political violence.
Shortly before shots rang out, Kirk tweeted: “WE. ARE. SO.
BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on
the American Comeback Tour.”
How are security protocols being reviewed after the attack?
Universities and event organizers conduct thorough reviews
of existing security plans, focusing on identifying gaps in access control,
crowd management, and emergency response protocols.
Future events featuring controversial or high-profile
figures will undergo more rigorous risk evaluations to determine necessary
security measures, including threat intelligence and crowd dynamics analysis.
Universities are likely to increase the number of trained
security personnel at events, potentially including collaboration with local
law enforcement, private security firms, and rapid response teams.
