Mr. Kirk, a close ally of President Trump, was speaking in front of a large crowd when a shot rang out, according to video from the scene.
Here’s what to know
Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA, the nation’s pre-eminent right-wing youth activist organization, was shot in the neck on Wednesday while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Cellphone videos posted online showed people running from the event after a gunshot rang out. One video appeared to show Mr. Kirk’s head jerking back as blood poured from his neck. He had been delivering remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
A university spokeswoman, Ellen Treanor, said that Mr. Kirk was struck about 20 minutes after he began speaking on campus. She said a suspect had fired at Mr. Kirk from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, and been taken into custody.
The suspect was not a student, she said.
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Condition unknown: Ms. Treanor said Mr. Kirk’s security had taken him away after the shooting, and she did not have any information on his condition. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, confirmed that Mr. Kirk had been shot in the neck.
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Trump comments: President Trump posted on social media in support of Mr. Kirk. “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” he wrote on Truth Social. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
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Close ally: Mr. Kirk, 31, has emerged in recent years one of the most influential young right-wing figures in the country, and established himself as a close ally of the president. Mr. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and has since become a fixture on college campuses, where he hosts rallies like the one in Utah, that often draw large crowds.
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White House influence: Even though he is not part of the administration, Mr. Kirk’s influence in the White House is significant. Since the November election, he has helped vet prospective appointees, testing their loyalty to Mr. Trump.
EDIT:
The police have determined that a person who was taken into custody after the shooting was not actually the shooter, according to Scott Trotter, a university spokesman. The university had earlier said a suspect was in custody, and videos online showed an older man being detained by police officers.
EDIT 2:
Andrew Kolvet, Kirk’s spokesman, says Kirk is dead.
So, there’s a close up video posted by Christian Prayer Warrior and chronic Kirk gadfly Nick Fuentes and…
Ooowie! That’s a lot of blood. All I’m saying is that if he’s not dead, he’s having a very, very bad day.
That said, in the spirit of rigorous serious free speech debate, I would like to take a moment and remind everyone that Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’, but Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment
This has been an interesting rebuttal.
I saw the close up video. Bullet straight to the choroid artery. We only saw the blood coming out the entry wound… not the exit wound. He was “spurting” that dark shit that means your remaining lifespan is now measured in seconds and at best minutes.
Brachial artery is in the arm, not the neck. The main artery in the neck would be the carotid. If it’s lower, closer to the chest, it would be the IMA, or internal mammary artery. The brachial artery supplies the bicep and the elbow.
Ah I was confusing brachial plexus with brachial artery.
Probably a slim chance it wasn’t a precise aim, right? That guy knew what they were doing.
Actually, you saw blood squirting out the exit wound. I couldn’t tell where the entry wound is, but news says the building the shooter was at was over to the shooters right.
Thoughts and prayers.