Charlie Kirk dead after shooting at Utah Valley University event, Trump says: Follow live updates

Turning Point USA, the nonprofit Charlie Kirk started in 2012, sent out a letter to supporters and employees confirming its cofounder had died, according to a copy shared with CNN.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” the note said.

Turning Point USA describes its mission as helping “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.” The youth organization holds conservative events and meetups at high schools and colleges all over the U.S.

President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he is ordering “all American Flags throughout the United States” to be flown at half-stafft until 6 p.m. on Sunday in honor of Charlie Kirk, whom he called “a truly Great American Patriot.”

In a previous post in which he broke the news of Kirk’s death, Trump expressed his sympathy for Kirk’s family and wrote that “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”

On X, Donald Trump Jr. reposted his father, President Trump’s announcement that Kirk has died.

“I love you brother,” Trump Jr. wrote. “You gave so many people the courage to speak up and we will not ever be silenced.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson led members of Congress in a moment of prayer in honor of Charlie Kirk and his family on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.

In an update posted to X, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he has spoken to President Trump and vowed to bring the shooter to justice.

The governor said he was “heartbroken” by news of Kirk’s death and is praying for his family.

Former President Joe Biden condemned the act of violence against Charlie Kirk in a post on X.

“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” Biden wrote. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”

No suspect has been taken into custody following the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University, Orem Mayor David Young told the Associated Press.

A spokeswoman for the university confirmed to the New York Times that no one has been arrested and said that the FBI had joined local and state law enforcement to aid in the search.

The school had previously said that a suspect had been taken into custody shortly after the shooting, but later clarified that their initial report was mistaken. The university is still instructing people on campus to shelter in place and to call the police to receive an escort out of the danger area.

Actor Chris Pratt offered his prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family on social media. “Praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country,” Pratt wrote. “We need God’s grace. God help us.”

President Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social account that Charlie Kirk has died as a result of the shooting.

“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. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

Witnesses are speaking out about what they heard and saw when Charlie Kirk was shot during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University earlier this afternoon.

Former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who was at the event, told Fox News that Kirk had been speaking for about 20 minutes when he was asked his second audience question, about “transgender shooters, mass shooters.” That’s when Chaffetz said he heard a shot and watched Kirk fall back

“I can’t say I saw him get shot, but as soon as that went out, he went back,” Chaffetz said. “A lot of people started screaming, and then everybody started running.”

Justin Hickens, who was also at the event, told NBC News he was standing about 20 yards away from Kirk when the shot was fired.

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

Hickens said the audience started to run away, until many of them realized there weren’t any more gunshots being fired.

Raydon DeChene, who was also near the front of the crowd, told CBS News Kirk had specifically been asked about the recent shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school right before she heard “a pop.” DeChene said she saw Kirk grab his neck, fall back and then heard someone yell for the crowd to run.

There were a few police officers and security near Kirk, DeChene said, but no metal detectors had been used for audience members entering the space.

Current and former politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to condemn Kirk’s shooting.

Former Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney said he was “shocked and sickened.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former Democratic House speaker, called it “reprehensible.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, called it a “horrific act of targeted violence.”

Utah Valley University has clarified that a suspect in the shooting has not been taken into custody, according to multiple news outlets. The university had initially said that someone was taken into custody immediately after Kirk was shot. That report was apparently mistaken.

“The suspect is not in custody. Police are still investigating. Campus is closed for the rest of the day,” university spokesperson Scott Trotter told a Utah-based newspaper Deseret News.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and former Democratic presidential candidate, condemned what he called a “horrifying act” of political violence.

President Trump’s elder sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump posted messages to X saying they were praying for him.

Charlie Kirk is being treated at a hospital and is in critical condition, the Associated Press reported, citing a law enforcement official. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, confirmed to the New York Times that Kirk had been shot in the neck.

CBS News White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs said that a Turning Point USA official also confirmed that Kirk is at a hospital, but “it doesn’t look good.”

In a statement posted to X, former Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “deeply disturbed” by Kirk’s shooting, and that she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were praying for him and his family.

In a statement, Utah Valley University said it was locking down its campus, canceling classes and asking students to shelter in place:

Charlie Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University as part of Turning Point USA’s American Comeback tour of college campuses. The next stop was scheduled for Sept. 18 at Colorado State University.

According to the tour’s website, it was a free, ticketed event. It’s unclear exactly how many attendees were at the event or how many had registered for tickets.

The event was scheduled to begin around 12 p.m. local time. According to the university, Kirk was shot at approximately 12:10 p.m.

A number of videos circulating online, which Yahoo News has chosen not to share because of their violent content, captured, from several angles, the moment Charlie Kirk was shot.

In the footage, Kirk is sitting on a tall chair beneath a canopy in front of a large crowd in an open area of the Utah Valley University campus. Speaking into a microphone, he directs a question to a member of the crowd before a loud bang is heard. After being shot, Kirk slumps back in his chair before appearing to fall over to his side as the crowd reacts in shock.

The 31-year-old is a conservative activist who cofounded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that advocates for conservative causes on school campuses. Kirk is a prominent supporter of President Trump. He spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention just days after Trump survived an attempted assassination at a political rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump often speaks highly of Kirk; for example, the day before Trump was sworn into the Oval Office for a second time, he told attendees at a campaign rally in Washington, D.C., “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”

Trump also appeared at Turning Point USA rallies and town halls on the campaign trail last year.

“I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy,” Trump said at a rally in Phoenix last October.

Kirk is married to Erika Frantzve and they share two young children.

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona who was shot during an assassination attempt in 2011 and has since become a gun violence prevention advocate, condemned the shooting in a post on X.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he’s being briefed by law enforcement on the incident and will continue sharing updates with the public when they become available.

“Those responsible will be held fully accountable,” Cox, a Republican, said on X. “Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act.”

In a post on X, Vice President JD Vance shared a message similar to Trump’s, describing Kirk as a “genuinely good guy and a young father.”

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that the bureau is “closely monitoring reports” and that agents will soon arrive on the scene.

“The FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation,” Patel said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to news that conservative activist Charlie Kirk had been shot by calling the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible” in an X post.

“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” he wrote.

President Trump took to Truth Social to call for prayers for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” Trump wrote. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”

Kirk is a prominent pro-Trump activist who cofounded Turning Point USA, an organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school and university campuses.

A single shot was fired as Charlie Kirk began his planned rally around 12:25 p.m. MT (2:25 p.m. ET) at Utah Valley University’s Orem Campus, a university spokesperson told Yahoo.

The spokesperson confirmed Kirk was shot, but said his condition was not immediately known.

A suspect is in custody, the spokesperson said.