Update: On Friday morning, authorities announced that a suspect, 22 year old Utahn Tyler Robinson, was in custody.
(Oregon Right to Life) — Tributes have been pouring in after Turning Point USA founder and pro-life conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk was brutally assassinated Wednesday during a college speaking event in Utah. Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father of two, was a beloved and powerful voice among conservatives, especially young people, and made huge strides in the national conversation since his early entry into politics in 2012 at age 18.
On Wednesday, September 10, Kirk, was speaking at a scheduled campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The event was set to be the first stop in the Turning Point USA “American Comeback Tour.”
At 12:20 PM, the prominent conservative commentator and podcaster was answering a question from a student when a single shot rang out. He was struck in the neck and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The shot was determined to have been fired from the rooftop of a campus building, the Losee Center, from approximately 200 yards away.
Law enforcement arrested an individual at the scene but later released him after determining he was not a suspect. A person of interest was apprehended later in the afternoon and also released after questioning.
A lengthy manhunt with active FBI involvement was launched for Kirk’s killer. A bolt-action rifle was recovered in a wooded area near the campus. On Thursday morning, the FBI’s Salt Lake City office released screenshots from security video and asked for information about a “person of interest” in the shooting: a college-aged male dressed in dark clothing.
The FBI also announced a $100,000 reward for information about the person of interest.
Nationwide, tributes have poured in honoring Kirk’s legacy and expressing profound shock and sadness at his murder.
“I was overwhelmed, devastated, and heartbroken when I heard of Charlie Kirk’s brutal assassination today,” Oregon Right to Life executive director Lois Anderson said in a Wednesday statement.
“Charlie was a young husband, father of two children, and a committed advocate for pro-life conservative values. He devoted his life, from his beginnings in politics as a teenager, to changing the culture for good through open and productive dialogue about the issues that truly matter,” she continued. “Charlie lived according to his deeply-held faith and moral convictions. He consistently stood up for the most vulnerable, the unborn, and families.”
“Along with the entire Oregon Right to Life team, I grieve with and pray for Charlie’s family as they endure this unimaginable loss,” Anderson said.
Pro-life Republican Representative Cliff Bentz posted on social media calling Kirk “a passionate voice and leader for the conservative movement.”
“My prayers are with Charlie and his family,” Bentz said.
House Republican leader Rep. Christine Drazan said “violence and hatred must end” and that Kirk’s assassination should “horrify every American who believes in free speech and public debate.”
“Any extremist who has called for violent action against their political opponents should be ashamed of what they have brought on our country,” Drazan said. “My deepest condolences to the Kirk family and prayers for our country.”
“The murder of Charlie Kirk is a tragic and appalling act of violence,” Rep. Court Boice said in a statement shared with Oregon Right to Life. “No American should be targeted for their beliefs, and no family should have to endure this kind of loss. Political differences must never justify violence. My prayers are with Charlie’s family, his loved ones, and all who are grieving. We must stand together as a nation to reject hate and defend our freedoms.”
On the national level, conservative and pro-life figures shared message after message describing their heartbreak at the loss of a friend, a compatriot, and a fellow advocate for fundamental conservative values.
“Devastated by the news of Charlie’s passing,” Live Action founder and president Lila Rose said on social media. “Charlie was killed while working to peacefully persuade others. He lived to share the truth, as best he knew how. He worked tirelessly, every day, to speak the truth and make this country better. He courageously spoke up for human life, again and again. He was unapologetically pro-life. He loved his beautiful family and he loved this nation. He spoke often of his devotion for Jesus Christ and his desire for all people to know the saving power of Christ’s love. He was generous and kind.”
“May his witness call us to reject hatred and violence and to embrace the power of truth spoken in love,” Rose said. “Rest in peace, Charlie. May you rest in the loving embrace of Our Lord. Jesus, welcome him and comfort his family.”
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Charlie Kirk,” National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said. “Charlie was a bold and passionate voice for the unborn, unafraid to speak truth in defense of the most vulnerable members of our human family. His commitment to the cause of life inspired countless Americans, particularly young people, to stand up and be advocates for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
“His absence will be profoundly felt, but his legacy of courage and conviction will continue to strengthen and encourage the pro-life movement for years to come,” Tobias said.
“Like all of you, I am utterly stunned and heartbroken and sick to my soul today,” Daily Wire co-founder and podcaster Ben Shapiro said in an X post on Wednesday. “It is unimaginable to write these words. 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.’ Charlie became even bigger and more important than that.”
“It was a privilege to watch this principled man stand up for his beliefs and create the single most important conservative political organization in America. But more importantly, Charlie was a good man, a man who believed in right and wrong, who stood by his Biblical values. All of us will miss him, and I can’t imagine the pain of his beautiful young family, and we must all pray for them. And we must pick up the baton where Charlie left it, fighting for the things he believed in so passionately,” Shapiro said. “And we must fight for a better America – an America where good people can speak truth and debate passionately without fear of a bullet. I weep for Charlie’s family, and I weep for my country today. Most of all, I weep for Charlie.”
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump released a statement decrying the “heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.” He later ordered that American flags be flown at half-staff in honor of Kirk. During a Thursday speech, Trump announced that the young conservative leader would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A prominent voice in conservative politics and commentary, Charlie Kirk entered the national political scene in 2012 at just 18 years old when he founded Turning Point USA to advance conservative politics on college campuses and empower young people to stand up for their beliefs. He became integrally involved in Donald Trump’s campaigns for the presidency in addition to emerging as a popular podcaster and author of numerous books. Online, he was well-known for his “Prove Me Wrong” events at college campuses, just like the one in which he was speaking in Utah on Wednesday afternoon, in which he invited open discussion and debate about pressing political and philosophical topics.
Kirk consistently promoted and defended the pro-life position, and spoke at the 2025 Pro-Life Summit at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young children, ages one and three.
