Charlie Kirk, the far-right activist known for his outspoken anti-LBGTQ+ views, was shot and killed on Wednesday during a campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem. He was 31. Authorities say the shooting happened while Kirk was on stage for his “American Comeback Tour.”
A graphic video from the event captured the moment a single shot rang out. Kirk flinched and appeared to be struck in the neck before collapsing. The Utah Department of Public Safety said the shot is believed to have been fired from the roof of the Losee Center, a building that houses academic advising, tutoring, and other student support services.
DPS Commissioner Beau Mason said only one shot was fired and Kirk was the sole victim. Kirk first rose to prominence in his early 20s, founding Turning Point USA and becoming a central figure in the American right’s youth movement. He built close ties with President Donald Trump and turned Turning Point into a media and organizing powerhouse.
But Kirk also built his reputation on inflammatory rhetoric targeting LGBTQ+ communities. He spread disinformation about transgender people, gender-affirming care, and even claimed in 2022 that “transgender people were to blame for inflation.” He also drew outrage when he said that January 6 rioters would have faced lighter punishment if they had “stripped naked and filmed themselves having gay sex.”
Kirk is also famously associated with anti gay marriage comments. The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office said it has devoted “full resources” to the investigation and has launched a public tip line. For now, officials stress the campus is secure, but the investigation into who killed Charlie Kirk—and why—remains ongoing. Queer News Tonight continues to report a significant increase in political violence in America and firmly support that political differences of opinion should be accepted and tolerated. Violence is never a good choice in our society.
