Right-wing youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, a major ally of President Donald Trump, was shot dead on Wednesday in an apparent assassination that sparked fears of more political violence in an increasingly febrile United States.
Trump confirmed on social media that Kirk, 31, had died from his injuries.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead, “Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Kirk was hit while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
Video from the scene showed him addressing a large crowd when the sound of a single shot rang out. Kirk appeared to collapse in his chair before the camera swiftly moved, and sounds of panic erupted in the audience.
The university said the shooting happened around midday and initially said that a suspect was in custody, although multiple US media reports later said that was not the case.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife, Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
– ‘He fell back’ –
Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, who was at the rally, told Fox News the shooting had happened while Kirk was doing a question-and-answer session with the crowd.
“First question was about religion. He went on for about 15-20 minutes. Second question, interestingly, was about transgender shooters, mass shooters, and in the midst of that, the shot rang out,” a visibly shaken Chaffetz told the network.
“As soon as that shot went out, he fell back,” he said. “Everybody hit the deck, everybody… a lot of people started screaming, and then everybody started running.”
Sophie Anderson, 45, told the Daily Mail she was standing 100 feet (30 meters) from the stage, and she knew it was a gunshot as soon as she heard the noise.
“He was shot in the neck and just fell over, and he was just a fountain of blood,” she told the outlet.
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