Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Tuesday, prompting President Donald Trump to order flags flown at half-staff nationwide in his honor.
Kirk, 31, was killed after being shot while speaking at the university, marking a shocking end to the life of one of America’s most prominent young conservative voices. The shooting occurred when Kirk was struck by gunfire from a rooftop position approximately 200 yards away while addressing students during his “American Comeback Tour” campus event.
Turning Point USA confirmed Kirk’s death in an official statement, writing: “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that Charles James Kirk has been murdered by a gunshot that took place during Turning Point USA’s ‘The American Comeback Tour’ campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025”.
The incident prompted immediate chaos as students and attendees fled the scene. Federal and state authorities immediately began working to locate the perpetrator, leading to initial confusion following the tragedy. The shooter remained at large Wednesday night as the manhunt continued.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at age 18 and built it into one of the nation’s most influential conservative youth organizations. He was a longtime ally of President Donald Trump and played a significant role in mobilizing young conservative voters during multiple election cycles.
President Trump initially confirmed Kirk’s death through a post on Truth Social, writing: “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!”
Kirk married Erika Frantzve, a Christian podcaster and former Miss Arizona USA, in 2021, and they had two children together.
The FBI has expanded its manhunt after initially detaining two individuals who were later determined to have no connection to the killing. Authorities continue investigating what many are calling a targeted political assassination.
The shooting has sent shockwaves through conservative political circles and raised serious concerns about political violence targeting public figures during campus events.
