TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH, MENTIONS OF BLOOD
Charlie Kirk was a conservative political activist who began his activism following the founding of Turning Point USA in 2012. Turning Point USA is one of the largest youth political activism groups. Kirk started to gain unprecedented amounts of views in 2021, following the beginning of his college tour debates, where he traveled across the country to debate college students.
Notably, in the summer of 2024, Kirk was traveling day after day to garner support for the MAGA movement and convince potential voters to vote in favor of Donald Trump. As a result, Kirk gained President Trump’s respect and they became allies.
On September 10th, 2025, Kirk headed to Utah State University to continue The American Comeback Tour, where he asks college students to come up to a microphone and debate. However, this day proved to be tragic for both Kirk and his audience.
While answering a question about the number of gun violence events committed by transgender individuals, Kirk was shot in the neck from approximately 200 yards away. Footage from the event shows the crowd, overcome with confusion and horror, begin screaming and running away. Kirk, in surfaced videos, is seen being shot, bleeding uncontrollably from the neck, and slumping over onto the floor. Medics then rushed him to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem where he was pronounced dead after a few hours.
President Trump was the first to let the public know that Kirk was deceased through a tweet that reads, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Lindsey McManus, a junior at HHS, noted, “A man was taken from his wife, his children, and the world. No form of political violence should ever, under any circumstances, be condoned. Regardless of anyone’s political beliefs, he was a father, a husband, and a human whose life was taken from him unrighteously.”
One suspect was apprehended, but he proved to have a history of lying about committing acts of violence and he was later let go.
On social media, Kirk’s death has been a controversial topic, with some people on the left celebrating his death. Others have been making jokes, saying that he was “proven wrong,” which is ironic, as he was sitting under a tent that read “Prove me wrong.” Many people on the right have been mourning this loss, sharing their condolences with his family. Some who did not agree with Kirk condemned the people celebrating because they argue that gun violence empathy cannot be selective to people you like or dislike.
Additionally, citizens have been saying that this situation is the reason why gun laws should be enforced to keep the public and prominent figures safe. While gathering the thoughts of students about Kirk, it seems they all share similar opinions. Junior Riley Stocks says,“It’s a very scary thing. The point of America is free speech, and no matter how extremist Charlie Kirk is, he shouldn’t be killed for his political opinion.”
Unfortunately, misinformation has spread around the internet claiming Kirk’s wife and children attended his tour at Utah State University. However, this claim is false, as his wife did not find out until President Trump tweeted it.
A breaking update on Kirk’s gruesome death came on Thursday, September 11th, when the governor of Utah did a press conference saying that they “got the guy.” Twenty-two year-old Tyler Robinson, who was a student at the university, was identified as Kirk’s killer. Robinson’s family is republican, but Robinson wasn’t affiliated with either political party. It was later revealed that Robinson had engraved messages on the shell casings, reading, “Hey Fascist! Catch!” or “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao.” Bella ciao became a very famous chant during Mussolini’s dictatorship.
In response to the asassination, President Trump has lowered flags for a week, made a memorial on the White House’s website, and is posthumously giving Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
