Conservative activist and Salem Media syndicated host Charlie Kirk is dead after being shot on Wednesday while hosting an event at Utah Valley University. The news was shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social.
Trump wrote, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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!”
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Kirk was being asked about mass shootings at the time gunfire was heard, resulting in attendees immediately seeking cover.
“We do know there was a shot fired from the top of the Losee Center,” UVU said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune. “Someone appeared to be at the top of that building or somewhere inside. We don’t know if they’ve been apprehended.” The shooter was reportedly 200 yards away.
No suspect is in custody, despite earlier reports.
Based on video shared on X, shared by global newspaper The Guardian, Kirk was seated under a tent speaking to students when a bullet struck him in the neck. Sinclair-owned CBS affiliate KUTV-2 in Salt Lake City shared a note sent by university officials to students saying, “A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker.”
That visiting speaker was Kirk, who hosted “The Charlie Kirk Show” each day on the Salem Radio Network and an accompanying podcast. Kirk was also the founder and president of Turning Point USA.
In March, Salem Media Group announced Kirk would assume the affiliates that had carried Dennis Prager’s former program; Prager suffered a spinal cord injury in a fall last November.
In 2020, Kirk chaired Students for Trump, which activated hundreds of thousands of new college voters through its more than 350 chapters present on campuses in battleground states. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and Axios has listed Charlie as one of the “top 10 most engaged” Twitter handles in the world.
His appearance at Utah Valley University was part of a “Prove Me Wrong” American Comeback tour.
This is an ongoing story. Updates will appear as necessary.
