I didn't do a lot of speculating about the next whatever when the Dems were killed in Minnesota, so I'm not going to start speculating about any futher developments after this assassination.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/live/charlie-kirk-shot-dead-at-utah-campus-event-person-of-interest-is-in-custody--follow-live-updates-213655536.html


Yahoo News


Charlie Kirk shot dead at Utah campus event; person of interest is in custody — follow live updates


The Turning Point USA cofounder was speaking in front of a large crowd at Utah Valley University

Yahoo News Staff


Updated Wed, September 10, 2025 at 7:37 PM EDT


Charlie Kirk, a popular conservative commentator, was fatally shot while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. He was 31.

"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "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!"

A spokesperson for Turning Point USA, an organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school and university campuses, confirmed that Kirk died following the shooting. "Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven," the group, which Kirk cofounded, said in a statement.

Kirk, who was a prominent conservative activist and Trump ally, was speaking at a planned open-air rally at the school when a single shot rang out, striking him in the neck.

An unnamed person of interest is in custody, but authorities are not yet referring to them as a suspect, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Wednesday afternoon. A possible shooter dressed in dark clothing was captured on surveillance footage firing from a rooftop, according to Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. Authorities are trying to determine if the person of interest they have taken into custody is the same person spotted on the CCTV footage, he said.

The university had initially reported that a suspect was in custody shortly after the shooting, but that person was released after being booked for obstruction of justice, Mason said.

This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates.

The school announced that all classes (including virtual ones), on-campus events and administrative operations are being postponed.

"We appreciate your understanding and invite the campus community to demonstrate exceptional care towards one another at this time," four of the university's administrators wrote in a public notification.

Students will have the opportunity to make up any coursework or tests that they miss, they wrote.

The campus was closed immediately after the shooting. The school instructed anyone who was still present to shelter in place and call the police in order to be escorted to safety.

During a press conference Wednesday, law enforcement officials said that Charlie Kirk's "possible shooter" had been spotted on closed-circuit TV and had likely fired from a rooftop at long distance.

"The only information we have on the suspect — the possible shooter — is taken from closed-circuit TV here on campus," said Beau Mason, the commissioner of Utah's Department of Public Safety, adding that the low-quality security camera footage was currently being analyzed. "We do know (they were) dressed in all dark clothing, but we don't have a much better description, other than that."

Asked where the shot came from, Mason said, "Here on campus" before adding that it was "potentially ... a longer-distance shot from a roof."

Authorities are currently trying to "decipher" if the person of interest they've taken into custody is the same person spotted on the CCTV footage, Mason said.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox: 'We have a person of interest in custody'
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters, "We have a person of interest in custody that is being interviewed right now," but noted that authorities are still looking for anyone else with information related to the shooting.


During a press conference Wednesday evening, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox referred to Kirk's death as a "political assassination."

"This is a dark day for our state. It's a tragic day for our nation. I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination," he said.

Cox continued, "Today, a life was taken. Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a husband and a dad to two young children. He was also very much politically involved, and that's why he was here on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and to persuade people. ... When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened."

Turning Point USA, the organization that Kirk cofounded in 2012 when he was 18 years old, said in a post on X that "Kirk has been murdered by a gunshot."

“May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior, who suffered and died for Charlie," Turning Point wrote in a social media post. "We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers."

Kirk was speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University as part of Turning Point’s American Comeback tour when he was fatally shot.


Sen. Mike Lee: 'This murder was a cowardly act of violence'
Utah members of Congress are reacting to the news of Kirk's death in statements posted to their X accounts.

Sen. Mike Lee sharply condemned what he called a "murder" as "a cowardly act of violence."

"The terrorists will not win," Lee wrote. "Charlie will."


Others, including Rep. Blake Moore and Rep. Celeste Maloy, said they were devastated by the loss.




Erika Kirk, Kirk's wife and the mother of his two children, is the founder of the BibleIn365 ministry and host of the Midweek Rise Up podcast.

Hours before the shooting, she posted this verse to X:


Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered his condolences to Charlie Kirk's family on behalf of himself and the state's first lady. "Cecilia and I are heartbroken by the assassination and passing of Charlie Kirk," Abbott, a Republican, wrote. "This senseless act of violence has no place in America."


New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that there is "no place" in America for "gun violence and political violence."

Before Kirk's death was confirmed, the Democrat offered her condolences on X, writing, "The scourge of gun violence and political violence must end. The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest incident of this chaos and it must stop. We cannot go down this road. There is no place for it in America and we wish for his recovery."


Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point's visit to Utah Valley University. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Charlie Kirk was asked about U.S. mass shootings seconds before he was shot in the neck on Wednesday, videos circulating on social media show.

"Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?" a person asked Kirk. "Counting or not counting gang violence?" Kirk replied moments before he was shot.

Charlie Kirk was one of the most powerful voices in conservative media. He cofounded Turning Point USA in 2012, the day after he graduated high school. The organization's mission is to promote conservative political ideals on America's college campuses. His campus activism frequently led him into heated debates against liberal students, which were often captured on camera and celebrated by conservatives online.

Kirk was an early backer of President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, earning himself a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention that year at just 23 years old. Turning Point USA has continued to grow alongside the MAGA movement. The group says it's now represented at more than 3,500 colleges. Total revenue at Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action grew from $4.3 million in 2016 to $92.4 million in 2023.

At the time of his death, Kirk had more than 5 million followers on X and 3.8 million subscribers on YouTube.

Kirk claimed to have visited Trump at the White House "a hundred-plus" times during his first term and became part of a small group of loyal advisers when Trump returned to office earlier this year.

"No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

Ben Shapiro says he's 'heartbroken and sick to my soul'
Conservative commentator and podcast host Ben Shapiro posted his reaction to the news of Kirk's death on X, writing that he was "utterly stunned and heartbroken and sick to my soul".

"I met Charlie Kirk when he was 18 years old, a young man so eager and determined that I immediately turned to a friend and said, 'That kid is going to be the head of the RNC one day,'" Shapiro wrote on X, adding, "Charlie became even bigger and more important than that."

Shapiro's statement went on to say that "We must pick up the baton where Charlie left it, fighting for the things he believed in so passionately. And we must fight for a better America — an America where good people can speak truth and debate passionately without fear of a bullet."

Shapiro had been a guest on Kirk's podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, in an episode that dropped yesterday.

Former President Barack Obama shared his condolences on X. Obama condemned the "despicable act of violence" against Kirk, adding that it "has no place in our democracy."

"We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children," Obama wrote.


Actress and conservative Candace Cameron Bure is sharing her sorrow over the death of Charlie Kirk. On Instagram, the Full House actress posted a photo of Kirk with the words, "We love you Charlie. Well done good and faithful servant." Bure captioned the post with three broken heart emojis.


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 to "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.”

Neia Balao
Today at 5:17 PM EDT
Neia Balao
Donald Trump Jr. says Kirk 'gave so many people the courage to speak up'

On X, Donald Trump Jr. reposted the announcement from his father, President Trump, 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.

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.