Charlie Kirk, conservative speaker and founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after being shot in the neck during his event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31.
According to a post on X by UVU, “Campus police is investigating, a suspect is in custody.”
However, the suspect taken into custody was not the shooter. Police are still searching.
According to posts on UVU’s X account, the university closed immediately and canceled classes. It also instructed UVU students to call campus police for an escort off campus.
The shooting happened while Kirk engaged with an audience for ‘The American Comeback Tour,’ where college students debate Kirk on political and social issues.
Kirk brought the similar ‘You’re Being Brainwashed Tour’ to Kansas State on Sept. 13, 2024. Slated to begin at noon, Kirk did not arrive on campus until 12:29 p.m. He was permitted to use sound-amplifying devices from 12-1 p.m., but he went over time, and his microphone was turned off around 1:20 p.m.
Brody Zwiebel, senior in advertising and public relations, attended Kirk’s event at K-State and said he does not “want to give ‘thoughts and prayers.’”
“My immediate thoughts are that while it’s a tragedy, there was a loss of life when you spent a lifetime making millions of dollars shilling for government officials and foreign nations that commit global atrocities,” Zwiebel said. “I find it hard to have sympathy when something like this happens.”
Zwiebel said he does empathize with Kirk’s family that will “grow up without a father and husband.”
“I also think this will only lead to more vitriolic political discourse over the coming years, and it will become a breaking point for both sides of the aisle,” he said.
K-State alumnus Joe Ackerman also attended Kirk’s event at K-State. He called the assasination “devastating” and said Kirk was a hero for the conservative movement.
“Charlie’s message will only become stronger with time, bringing people closer to the conservative movement,” Ackerman said. “I urge those who feel they should get involved to do so, whether locally or nationally in some capacity. We will dearly miss this great mind.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox ordered all flags in Utah to fly at half-mast, writing in an X post that Utah law enforcement is working with the FBI to “bring justice to the individual responsible for this tragedy.”
