Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, during a speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The shooting occurred around 12:20 p.m. when a single gunshot rang out from a nearby building, striking Kirk as he addressed students.
Security rushed him from the stage while campus police evacuated the courtyard. Kirk was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where TPUSA later confirmed his death. “Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” the organization said in a statement.
The FBI confirmed that one individual was briefly detained but later released, and the investigation remains ongoing. Experts told CNN the precision of the single shot suggests the attacker had firearms training and may have left little evidence behind.
The assassination stunned the nation. President Donald Trump called Kirk a “martyr” and ordered all U.S. flags flown at half-staff, while Vice President JD Vance praised his lasting impact on young conservatives. Tributes flooded social media as supporters mourned a man they described as one of the most influential political voices of his generation.
