Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailRight-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Wednesday. Video from bystanders on social media shows Kirk sitting on an outdoor stage during a question-and-answer event with students moments before a single loud crack can be heard, sending the crowd into panic. Video from the scene shows Kirk bleeding from neck before falling backward.An alert sent to the university community said a suspect is in custody. A spokesperson for Kirk’s Turning Point USA said he has been hospitalized and is in critical condition but “it doesn’t look good.”“A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker,” according to a university alert. “Police are investigating now, suspect in custody.”The Department of Justice is investigating, and the FBI is “closely monitoring reports,” according to FBI director Kash Patel.open image in galleryA single shot was fired at Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a speaking appearance at Utah Valley University on September 10, according to law enforcement and university officials (AP)“Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected,” Patel said. “Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”The campus has been closed, classes have been canceled, and students and others on campus have been instructed to leave the university “immediately,” according to a university announcement.Utah Governor Spencer Cox said he is being briefed by law enforcement.“Those responsible will be held fully accountable,” he said. “Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.”open image in galleryA crowd watching Kirk speak at Utah Valley University sprinted from the scene after a single shot was fired at the right-wing activist on September 10 (via REUTERS)open image in galleryFederal, state and local law enforcement officials are investigating the shooting and the campus has been evacuated (AP)Kirk, a 31-year-old political activist and media personality who founded influential right-wing advocacy group Turning Point USA, is well known for his campus appearances and debates surrounding hot-button issues.He formed the group in 2012 when he was 18 years old and has emerged as an influential voice among Trump’s supporters with an audience on his social media channels and streaming video networks that reach millions of followers.Kirk has also developed a close relationship with the president and other prominent Republican figures and has helped shape Trump’s Cabinet while leading get-out-the-vote campaigns that mobilized thousands of Turning Point members in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election.He had recently launched the American Comeback Tour with visits to college campuses across the country.“This is an ongoing situation. We can confirm that Charlie Kirk has been shot. He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,” Turning Point USA spokesperson Aubrey Laitsch said in a statement.Kirk was answering a question about “transgender mass shooters” when a shot rang out, according to former Republican congressman Jason Chaffetz, speaking to Fox News.President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and a host of administration officials and allies urged Americans to pray for Kirk following news of the shooting.“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”Democratic officials have also offered prayers for Kirk and condemned the shooting and acts of political violence.Wednesday’s shooting follows a streak of political violence across the country in recent months, including the assassinations of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota in June and two attempted assassinations targeting Trump in 2024.Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who was targeted in a 2011 assassination attempt that nearly killed her, said she was “horrified” to hear news of the shooting.“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence,” she wrote Wednesday.This is a developing story
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Charlie Kirk in critical condition at hospital after Utah college shooting but ‘it doesn’t look good’
