Content warning: This story refers to a viral, violent video of a shooting. We will not link directly to the footage.
Far-right political activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was 31.
The shooting occurred as Kirk was speaking in front of a crowd at the Utah university, a kickoff event for Turning Point’s “American Comeback” national tour that, reports the Associated Press, had received nearly 1,000 petition signatures calling for it to be canceled. According to CNN, Kirk was asked about the statistics of transgender people linked to mass shootings, an active — and misleading — talking point on the right; Kirk was answering the question when he was shot.
A video circulated on social media and verified by the Associated Press shows Kirk being shot while mid answer. Officials confirmed soon after that Kirk had been shot, and nearly two hours later, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Kirk had died.
The New York Times reports that no arrests have been made, and police are still searching for the shooter. Utah Valley University closed its campus, cancelled classes, and instructed students to “secure in place” until they can safely be escorted off campus as the investigation continues.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
A Trump ally, Kirk was popular among the far-right, known for rallying young people around conservative ideas and around the President. He frequently spoke out against abortion and reproductive rights, espoused anti-trans ideology, and spread COVID-19 misinformation. As of September 10, navigating to Turning Point USA’s website brings you to a pop-up of a smiling Kirk advertising a “47” hat, in homage to President Trump, in exchange for any donation to the organization. Kirk was gifted at digital attention-grabbing throughout his career as a right-wing commentator; in 2024, prior to another “debate” campus tour, his appearance on the video platform Jubilee debating young liberals went viral.
Kirk has been outspoken against gun control legislation, frequently defending access to guns during debates and speaking engagements. In a Turning Point speech last year, Kirk called shooting deaths as a result of gun access the “cost to liberty,” comparing gun deaths to the risk of driving and auto accidents. He made similar comments in 2023, calling gun deaths “worth” it in exchange for gun access shortly after a mass shooting killed three children and three adults at the Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Around the same time that Kirk was shot, a shooting at a Colorado school was also unfolding. According to the Denver Post, at least three teens at Evergreen High School, including the suspected shooter, were in critical condition as a result.
Kirk started Turning Point USA — which, on its website, claims to help supporters on college campuses “take up arms in the culture war” against “the Left” — in 2012, when he was 18.
What Is Turning Point USA?
Turning Point USA — often shortened to TPUSA — operates as a series of chapters on university campuses, helmed by founder Kirk until his death. Though it initially failed to gain traction, reports the Associated Press, “Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers [for the group].” In 2024, the group planned to spend $100 million on “get out the vote” efforts in coordination with the Trump campaign.
