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Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and 31-year-old father of two, has been shot. The suspect is not in custody, Utah Valley University (UVU) said in a statement.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, UVU spokesperson Ellen Treanor said: “A suspect was in custody initially, but to the best of my knowledge, that individual has been released. Our campus police are currently investigating in conjunction with the Orem police.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Orem Police Department for comment.
Kirk is in critical condition at a hospital after being shot Wednesday at a Utah event, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Video posted from the event appeared to show Kirk being shot as he spoke to the crowd from under a white pop-up tent. After the shot, the crowd dispersed, with onlookers shouting, “Run, run, run!”
DEVELOPING STORY: CHARLIE KIRK SHOT AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY EVENT
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Treanor said the shooting happened at about 12:20 p.m.
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“We had a speaker, Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group, Turning Point USA, who was speaking on campus today at noon,” the statement said.
“At about 12:20 shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel,” Treanor said previously. Treanor said the campus is closed for the day.
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In a campus-wide alert, Utah Valley University said that: “A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker. Police are investigating now.”
Charlie Kirk listens onstage during Politicon 2018 on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/Politicon)
Utah Valley University noted that the campus is “closed until further notice.”
“Ongoing police investigation. If you are still on campus, follow police directions.”
Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, US, on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kirk had been scheduled to appear at Utah Valley University on Wednesday as part of his American Comeback Tour, with another stop at Utah State University later this month. His appearances have drawn protests and petitions from student groups critical of his views.
In a since-deleted post on Kirk’s social media just hours before the attack, the conservative firebrand wrote: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”
The fall 2025 leg of the tour began at the Orem, Utah university and is “a nationwide campus tour aimed at equipping students with the tools to push back against leftwing indoctrination in academia and reclaim their right to free speech.”
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk speaks during the Turning Point Action’s The Believers Summit 2024 ahead of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s presentation, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., July 26, 2024. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)
President Donald Trump wrote on social media: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
In a statement on X, Vice President J.D. Vance wrote: “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
FILE – Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Utah Senator Mike Lee posted to X shortly after news of the shooting broke, writing, “I am tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there.”
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote: “Prayers for Charlie Kirk. An incredible Christian, American, and human being. May the healing hand of Jesus Christ be upon him.”
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, throws hats to the public on May 1, 2025, at UC San Diego’s Town Square. (Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket )
In a statement, the U.S. Secret Service expressed their “deepest sympathies” to the Kirk family.
“The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority. President Trump receives the highest levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and the agency adjusts our protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats,” they said. “Out of concern for operational security, we cannot discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a forum dubbed the Generation Next Summit at the White House on March 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Kirk married former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve in May 2021. They have two children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
He is the author of four books including, most recently, “The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas that Will Win the Future.” Kirk is the host of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, which was downloaded over 120 million times in the last 12 months and regularly ranks among the top 10 shows on Apple Podcasts charts.
