On Wednesday, September 10 at around 12:00 p.m. MDT, prominent conservative personality Charles James “Charlie” Kirk kicked off his speaking event at Utah Valley University. Around ten minutes later, a single shot from a nearby rooftop entered Kirk’s neck and he slumped forward as the crowd began to scatter. Kirk was rushed to the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah where he was pronounced dead later that day. He was 31.
Students at UVU were placed on lockdown, with classes cancelled for the rest of the week, and the surrounding school district advising its schools to enter a secure protocol. In the immediate aftermath, local authorities detained two suspects, before both being released. The current suspect, 22-year old Tyler Robinson from Washington, Utah is in custody. Authorities have expressed he has been uncooperative.
Reactions came from across the political landscape, with former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George Bush, and Bill Clinton issuing statements condemning the violence. A collection of state governors including Utah governor Spencer Cox (R), Gavin Newsom (D – California), J.B. Pritzker (D – Illinois), and Jim Pillen (R – Nebraska) condemning the shooting as well.
Kirk’s allies in the Republican party expressed grief towards the shooting, with Vice President J.D. Vance (R) stating, “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” and President Donald Trump stating he was “filled with grief and anger” and blaming the shooting on “radical left political violence.”
Tributes poured in from political figures in the House of Representatives and the Senate, with both majority leaders expressing their sympathy. Some state governors have ordered flags to be flown at half-mast, including South Carolina governor Henry McMaster (R). In addition, flags at federal offices were flown at half-mast until September 14, via a directive from President Trump.
Source: ABC News
Kirk’s death marks a recent chapter in an ongoing saga of what appears to be politically-motivated violence in the United States. In June, a Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman (D) as well as her husband and dog were killed in their home in what Minnesota governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (D) described as a “politically motivated attack.”
The assassin also targeted state senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife in their home, with the two fortunately surviving the attack. The rise in politically-motivated violence, and gun violence at large has continued to spur debate across the political landscape, with many seeing the attacks as examples of the necessity of more effective gun regulation.
Source: The Associated Press
Charlie Kirk’s 13-year career was marked by controversy and an appeal to Christian nationalism. He received praise from conservatives for his willingness to reach out to a younger demographic, but was criticized by many left-leaning figures for his history of propagating inflammatory rhetoric. In the later years of his life he staunchly allied himself with Trump and was lauded as a key figure in garnering young voters for Trump.
Kirk criticized LGBTQ+ rights and called for a ban on gender-affirming care. He aligned himself with conservative viewpoints regarding women’s rights and frequently emphasized that having children should take precedence over pursuit of a career for young women.
Kirk described himself as an advocate for free speech but was often criticized for his organization Turning Point USA’s “Professor Watchlist,” designed for students to list professors who expressed left-leaning sentiments.
Kirk was a staunch supporter of the First and Second Amendment, and some critics have argued that his death exemplifies the very violence he downplayed.
On racial matters, Kirk staunchly opposed affirmative action as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Kirk described the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a “mistake,” and claimed that African-Americans were better off in the 1940s. Kirk described African-American women as not having the “brain power” to be taken seriously. He called Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson a “diversity hire.” Kirk was often criticized for promoting fringe theories such as the “Great Replacement Theory,” a conspiracy theory that claims Jewish or Muslim individuals are promoting the immigration of non-whites into the United States to “replace” white Americans.
With Kirk set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump, but his legacy remains controversial. Some argue he emphasized reaching across the political divide, while others criticized the divisive nature of his rhetoric. Kirk is survived by his wife, and his two children.
