Charlie Kirk, Leading Right-Wing Personality, Dies at 31 After Utah College Shooting

Kirk was manning his signature “Prove Me Wrong” table as part of his American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University when gunfire broke out

Charlie Kirk has died at age 31 after being shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10, according to President Donald Trump.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the president shared on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon. “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.”

Kirk, a right-wing media personality who founded conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA, was manning his signature “Prove Me Wrong” table on the first stop of his American Comeback Tour in Orem, Utah, when shots were fired. Video posted from the event appeared to show Kirk being struck in the side of the head or neck as he spoke to the crowd from under a white pop-up tent.

After the shot rang out, the crowd dispersed in a panic, with onlookers shouting, “Run, run, run!”

Kirk’s X account shared photos and video from the event around the time of the shooting.

“WE. ARE. SO. BACK. 🔥🔥🔥. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour,” the since-deleted post read.

Trump quickly commented on the shooting on Truth Social, writing: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”

FBI Director Kash Patel, meanwhile, took to X to write, “We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”

After Kirk was taken to the hospital in critical condition, a Turning Point USA spokesperson said, “It doesn’t look good,” according to CBS News.

A Turning Point USA spokesperson later confirmed his death in a statement shared with PEOPLE, writing, “May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior who suffered and died for Charlie. We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers.”

Kirk rose to fame after co-founding Turning Point at just 18 years old to advocate for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.

Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, his three-hour radio talk show, called The Charlie Kirk Show, made him a close ally of Trump’s and, in 2020, he was appointed by the president to a commission promoting “patriotic education.”

Kirk grew to be something of a conservative lightning rod, with NBC News reporting in 2024 that his eponymous podcast was downloaded between 500,000 and 750,000 times each day. Kirk also often went viral on social media for his debates with more liberal-leaning students at college campuses around the country.

Kirk married podcaster and former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve in 2021 and the couple have two children: a girl born in 2022 and a boy born in 2024.