Mr. Kirk, a close ally of President Trump, was speaking in front of a large crowd when a shot rang out, according to video from the scene.
Here’s what to know
Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA, the nation’s pre-eminent right-wing youth activist organization, was shot in the neck on Wednesday while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Cellphone videos posted online showed people running from the event after a gunshot rang out. One video appeared to show Mr. Kirk’s head jerking back as blood poured from his neck. He had been delivering remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
A university spokeswoman, Ellen Treanor, said that Mr. Kirk was struck about 20 minutes after he began speaking on campus. She said a suspect had fired at Mr. Kirk from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, and been taken into custody.
The suspect was not a student, she said.
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Condition unknown: Ms. Treanor said Mr. Kirk’s security had taken him away after the shooting, and she did not have any information on his condition. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, confirmed that Mr. Kirk had been shot in the neck.
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Trump comments: President Trump posted on social media in support of Mr. Kirk. “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” he wrote on Truth Social. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
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Close ally: Mr. Kirk, 31, has emerged in recent years one of the most influential young right-wing figures in the country, and established himself as a close ally of the president. Mr. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and has since become a fixture on college campuses, where he hosts rallies like the one in Utah, that often draw large crowds.
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White House influence: Even though he is not part of the administration, Mr. Kirk’s influence in the White House is significant. Since the November election, he has helped vet prospective appointees, testing their loyalty to Mr. Trump.
EDIT:
The police have determined that a person who was taken into custody after the shooting was not actually the shooter, according to Scott Trotter, a university spokesman. The university had earlier said a suspect was in custody, and videos online showed an older man being detained by police officers.
EDIT 2:
Andrew Kolvet, Kirk’s spokesman, says Kirk is dead.
I’m happy it happened but I definitely don’t need to watch it
As a mod, I felt obligated because I'm not going to remove something I haven't watched or read, but... yeah. It's a LOT. If that makes you squeamish, do not watch it.
Yeah that’s a good point and I thank you for the warning as well cos I may have got a little bit curious
Yeah morbid curiosity got the better of me. You are making the smarter choice
Thanks for your service o7
ok sorry but thats kind of funny when you removed this comment https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/comment/15767109 and permabanned me because of the youtube channels name, and not because of anything in the video. I still maintain all the facts presented there can be independenty verified and that it is a balanced view critical of both Russias handling of protests but also of Ukraine.
Like "Videos from mariupol",
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"Live footage of a nazi going from fountain of hate to fountain of blood"
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My brother in Christ, you were knowingly spreading Russian propaganda.
I still don't think it was russian propaganda.
You specifically linked to the YouTube channel discussed here which is literally Russian propaganda:
https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/07/15/how-youtube-helps-russia-share-how-great-it-is-in-raw-and-subtle-ways/
Read more:
https://rsf.org/en/russian-tv-series-set-mariupol-kremlin-s-latest-propaganda-special-operation
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6912mqp1go
https://cpd.gov.ua/en/international-threats-en/usa/residents-of-mariupol-continue-to-expose-russias-lies-about-reconstruction/
I'm not arguing with you anymore. You have a history of pushing the false Russian narrative, bannnng you here now as well.
Jordan's a somewhat notorious mod 'round these parts.
I can see why, between that, getting banned from political memes for anti-white racism (I linked readsettlers.org) and from buyeuropean for saying the main legislative body of the EU is not elected democratically (it literally isn't and the Treaty of Lisbon removed all but a thin veil of democracy from the union) the state of modding is rapidly approaching reddit tier.
What's weird is he said the line, then bowed his head and shut his eyes, then immediately got shot.
I dunno, that 30 second video was the longest I've ever watched him, maybe he normally does that to seem smart to idiots
But fuck man, as crazy as shit is these days, and somehow the shooter not being immediately apprehended...
It almost seemed like he knew it was coming.
The strong suspicion is that this is the trigger for Trump to start banning guns so he can send his goons after citizens in their homes.
I would not be surprised one iota if it was deliberate.
Convenient timing with the Epstein book coming out this weekend. Man that thing is creepy.
In all likelihood it's just the guy who spent a decade going to college campuses and saying I flammatory shit finally got what he's been begging for.
But watching that video...
He really does bow his head, close his eyes, and clasp his hands together.
Like, it's the exact same mannerism as every movie/show where someone knows they're gonna be shot.
Apparently now they're saying it was 200 yards away with a rifle. So not getting caught would make a little more sense compared to right next to him with a pistol. But still, as recorded campuses are and as much as we're tracked...
It's gonna be suspicious if they don't catch someone. trump will pull out all the stops like they did when the NYC CEO was shot if this wasn't planned. They may not have legally admissable evidence, but the feds can figure this out.
They're saying it was probably from the roof of a nearby building (of which there are many), but news copter shots show police tape and three small traffic cones as ad hoc evidence markers behind the tent, behind the building (which is open underneath).
I'm not sure how the shooter could have been behind him, because there was no line of sight from there due to the tent backdrop, and there was a lack of ejecta blown forward so far as I could tell. There was only one shot, why would there be three cones? And I don't expect a shooter in that location could have escaped so easily. Still, it could have been a crazy lucky shot from there.
I'm very curious to know what that was all about.
I had to go back and watch it again after reading this, I don't see the head bow, but he says his piece about gangs then drops his hands in his lap like "point made" and BANG.
I'm you, I'm glad it happened, but I'm not watching it. Fuck em, they wanna spew hate, watch what happens when that hate comes back to them.
Watched it. Shrug. Thoughts and prayers, sunshine.
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I watched it. Oh no! Anyway ...
Dude…
Ok boomer