Charlie Kirk, CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, has died after he was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. His death was announced by President Donald Trump on social media.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote.
UVU confirmed that a single shot was fired as Kirk began to speak at his planned rally. The shooting, which occurred at 12:20 p.m. MT, was in the quad near the food court on the Orem campus.
The campus is closed and classes are canceled until further notice. Police were going building to building to escort those sheltered in place off campus.
In addition to the police investigation, the FBI field office in Salt Lake City said it is responding.
UVU campus is closed. Classes cancelled. Those on campus, secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus. Police are currently going building to building escorting people off campus. Roads to campus are currently closed.
— UVU (@UVU) September 10, 2025
Utah political leaders quickly condemned the shooting. Gov. Spencer Cox, who has expressed past concerns about political violence, posted to social media that he was being briefed on the incident.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable,” he said. “Violence has no place in our public life.”
Speaker of the House Mike Schultz and Democrats such as Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and House Minority Leader Angela Romero echoed the governor’s concerns about political violence in their own statements.
“Every student deserves to feel safe on campus, regardless of political views,” Romero said in her statement. “Colleges should be places of learning, discourse and the respectful exchange of ideas. My heart is with the students, faculty, and staff at UVU. The actions of one or a few individuals must not overshadow the importance of civil discourse.”
The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of President Donald Trump during a campaign rally last year.
