Trump says Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has died after shooting

By Juliana Kim

NPR — Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an outdoor speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, according to President Trump.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. ”No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”

The university said in a post that “at about 12:10 a shot was fired at the visiting speaker, Charlie Kirk. He was hit and taken from the location by his security.” In a later post, it said the campus was closed and that police were going building to building to escort people off campus.

Utah Valley University executive Ellen Treanor told NPR that a shot rang out from a building about 200 yards away from Kirk, who was invited by a student group.

Kirk is the head of the conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA, which was kicking off an “American Comeback Tour.” The event at Utah Valley University was the first of 15 scheduled stops at college campuses around the country.

Turning Point USA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NPR.

Video circulating on social media appear to show Kirk sitting in a chair and holding a microphone under a tent. A shot is fired and Kirk appears to grab his neck and fall out of his chair. NPR has not verified the authenticity of the video clips.

FBI director Kash Patel said on X that federal agents are heading to the scene and the FBI is monitoring the situation.