Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot at Utah Valley University

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot on Wednesday while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Kirk, 31, was shot at least once in the neck just after noon local time, about 20 minutes into his event, according to statements from UVU.

A university spokeswoman said he was shot by a rifle from the Losee Center, about 200 yards away from where Kirk had been speaking.

A suspect was not in custody, according to UVU’s spokeswoman. Students earlier had described an older man being taken into custody.

UVU closed its campus and cancelled classes, telling people still on campus to “secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus.”

Kirk, who is married and has children, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was in surgery, according to UVU.

His condition was not available.

Kirk is the co-founder of Turning Point USA and head of multiple related political organizations. HIs movement aimed at young conservatives has raised hundreds of millions of dollars.

He was at Utah Valley University on Wednesday for the first stop on Turning Point’s “American Comeback Tour,” according to the group’s website.

The event featured Kirk seated at his “prove me wrong table,” a format in which he debates with people who challenge his views.

UVU is Utah’s largest public university, with nearly 47,000 enrolled students as of fall 2023.

Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican congressman from Utah, in an interview with Fox News said he was at the event, and that Kirk had been asked a question about “transgender shootings, mass shootings.”

“As soon as this shot rang out, everybody hit the deck, and then everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine,” Chaffetz said. “I can’t say I saw blood. I can’t say I saw him get shot, but as soon as that shot went out, he fell back into his left and everybody hit the deck.”

Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, tweeted a biblical verse after the shooting.

“Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” Erika Kirk wrote.

A supporter of President Donald Trump, Kirk promoted the president’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen in favor of Joe Biden, and his group reportedly worked with the Trump campaign during the 2024 cycle.

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

“A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” wrote Trump, who met with Kirk in the Oval Office in late May.

FBI Director Kash Patel said, “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected.”

FBI agents and Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms agents were at the shooting scene, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

Shortly before the news of the shooting broke, Kirk’s official X account tweeted about the event.

“WE. ARE. SO. BACK,” Kirk wrote. “Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”

Kirk was scheduled to return to Utah on Sept. 30 for a similar event at Utah State University.

An online petition seeking to bar Kirk from speaking at that school garnered nearly 6,900 signatures.

“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and young father,” Vice President JD Vance said in a tweet.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that he is “praying for my friend Charlie Kirk during this difficult time.”

Blanche said the Department of Justice “is actively investigating this senseless act of violence.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”

“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom wrote.

— CNBC’s Erin Doherty contributed to this story.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.