US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, has died after being shot Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley University, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.
The shooting comes amid a spike in attacks on political figures in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum.
Kirk’s appearance at Utah Valley University marked the kickoff of his latest national college tour.
The tour featured Kirk’s ‘Prove Me Wrong Table’ where Kirk sat, as he did on Wednesday, fielding questions from students, including those who disagreed with him.
The conservative activist had scheduled events over the next two months at locations including Colorado State University, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Virginia Tech University, the University of North Dakota, Montana State University, Indiana University, Louisiana State University and the University of Mississippi.
The American flags on the White House roof and the north and south lawns have been lowered to half staff in Kirk’s honor as ordered by President Trump.
Trump took to social media earlier in the day to announce Kirk’s shooting death at a Utah university appearance. Trump in that moment praised the 31-year-old Kirk, co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, as “Great, and even Legendary.”
The university where Kirk was fatally shot is Utah’s largest public university and is located in Orem, about 40 miles south of the state capital of Salt Lake City.
Founded as a vocational school in 1941, Utah Valley University began offering four-year degrees in the 1990s, fueling significant growth. It now has nearly 47,000 students and nearly nine of 10 students on campus are from Utah.
The college is not affiliated or owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, which owns Brigham Young University in nearby Provo.
