UPDATED: Charlie Kirk, Turning Point founder and Trump ally, fatally shot in Utah

By Esther Wickham
The Center Square

Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder and executive director and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck on Wednesday at a Utah Valley University event, campus police have confirmed.  

During an American Comeback Tour, which the Turning Point USA chapter hosted at Utah Valley University, Kirk, 31, was seen shot in the neck in a video posted on X (warning, graphic) with at least hundreds in attendance.  

Charlie Kirk is dead, President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social at approximately 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," Trump wrote. "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 added. "Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

After the shots were fired, there is video footage seen of students on campus running away from the sound of gunshots, the Guardian reported.

The TPUSA media team confirmed to Fox News that Kirk had been shot, but that his condition was unknown.

“He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,” Aubrey Laitsch, public relations manager for Turning Point USA, said in a statement.

School authorities indicated that the shots originated from the roof of the Losee Center, roughly 200 yards from Kirk.

The gunfire happened 20 minutes into Kirk’s event. The suspect is currently in custody and has been confirmed not to be a student; however, their identity has not been disclosed. 

Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, has officially closed its campus and canceled all classes until further notice.

In a post on X, the university urged all individuals to leave campus immediately and comply with police instructions as the investigation continues, Newsweek reported.

“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vice President JD Vance posted to X.

Deseret News reported that a suspect is in custody.

“Tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there,” U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X.

Founded by Kirk in 2012, Turning Point USA advocates for conservative politics on college and university campuses and at high schools. It has chapters on more than 300 campuses nationwide. 

"The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form," California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X.