Charlie Kirk speaking with attendees at the University of Alabama tour stop of the 2021 Turning Point USA college tour at Hotel Capstone in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Charlie Kirk speaks with attendees at the University of Alabama tour stop of the 2021 Turning Point USA college tour at Hotel Capstone in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Credit: Gage Skidmore

Far-right activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was shot dead Wednesday at a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University.

Following the announcement of Kirk’s death, the White House lowered its flags to half-staff and Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a media statement lamenting the passing and calling the shooting “senseless.”

“Cecilia and I are heartbroken by the assassination and passing of Charlie Kirk,” Abbott. “Charlie’s voice was a beacon for millions of young Americans searching for truth, courage, and conviction. This senseless act of violence has no place in America. Our prayers are with Charlie’s family and his loved ones, especially the two young children he leaves behind. Texas stands with them in mourning and in honoring Charlie’s enduring legacy.”

University officials said a suspect is still at large and the weapon used in the assassination hasn’t yet been recovered, according to NBC News.

President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death in a post on Truth Social. His statement appeared ahead of those released by law enforcement officials.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” President Trump wrote on the social media platform. “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!”

Kirk was known for bringing the MAGA message to younger voters and energizing them to turn out at the polls through his organization Turning Point USA.

However, he also made waves with his inflammatory positions on issues. For example, he was quoted in an April 2023 Newsweek article saying gun deaths were “unfortunately worth it” to protect the 2nd Amendment.

Kirk’s remarks came a week after three children and three adults were killed at Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee — one of 586 U.S. mass shootings last year that took the lives of 711 people. So far in 2025, there have been 47 shootings at schools alone, leading to 19 fatalities and 77 injuries, according to CNN. Kirk was also quoted last year saying he believed children should watch public executions, according to a report by Newsweek.

Kirk was at the Utah Valley University as at a stop on “The American Comeback Tour,” where he sat at a table that said “Prove Me Wrong” and debated college students on controversial topics.

Kirk was answering a question about gun violence when he was shot Wednesday, ABC reports. The conservative activist was attempting to link transgender Americans and gun violence when a single shot struck his neck, causing a “fountain of blood” to pour out, according to eyewitness accounts collected by the network.

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This article appears in Sep 3-17, 2025.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.