US Activist Charlie Kirk Shot Dead at Utah University

Prominent American conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been killed after a gunman opened fire during one of his campus speaking events in Utah. He was 31.

Federal authorities confirmed a suspect had been taken into custody shortly after the attack. “The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. We will provide updates when able,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump broke the news to his supporters, paying tribute to his longtime ally. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

He added, “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania’s and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife, Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

THE RISE OF A CONSERVATIVE STAR

Kirk rose to prominence as one of the fiercest voices of Donald Trump’s Republican base. At just 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA, which grew into the largest youth conservative movement in the country. Over the years, he built millions of online followers who eagerly shared his quick-fire debates, combative interviews, and viral takedowns of his opponents.

On college campuses, he thrived on sparring with critics. Students often filmed the exchanges, and the clips—especially with progressives—would rack up millions of views. It was in such a setting on Wednesday that the shooting took place, cutting short a career that had made him a lightning rod for both admiration and controversy.

Supporters like Eric Hansen, 22, saw him as an antidote to what conservatives call liberal dominance in universities. “He brings different ideas to the table,” Hansen told AFP last October. “Ideas that some of us believe in, but are sometimes afraid” to say publicly.

CRITICS CALLED HIM EXTREMIST

But not everyone was impressed. “Charlie Kirk is a charismatic Christian nationalist who essentially acts as a spokesperson for Trumpism and extremist ideas,” said Kyle Spencer, author of a book on the rise of Turning Point USA.

The organization Kirk founded helped energize a new generation of Republicans, even bussing supporters to Washington ahead of the January 6, 2021 rally that spiraled into the Capitol riot.

Later, he spearheaded Turning Point Action, which became one of the key groups trusted by Trump to mobilize grassroots voters in 2024.

A VOICE THAT SHAPED THE RIGHT

Though he never completed university himself, Kirk became a fixture in conservative politics—first working alongside Donald Trump Jr., then building his own brand through Fox News appearances and his widely listened-to podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show.

The platform allowed him to push Trump’s election fraud claims, promote Covid-19 conspiracy theories, and spread provocative stories that often entered mainstream political debate. In one high-profile example, he circulated claims in 2024 that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Ohio—allegations never proven but later repeated by Trump during a presidential debate.

Asked last year about spreading unverified claims, Kirk stood firm. “I say we spread the truth,” he told AFP.