Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and Trump ally, dies after shooting at Utah campus event

By Eric Bradner, CNN

(CNN) — Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed Wednesday after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University, President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He was 31.

As Trump remade the Republican Party, Kirk embodied the party’s newfound populist conservatism in the social media age.

Kirk’s involvement began in the wake of the tea party movement and grew with Trump’s ascendance. Having co-founded Turning Point in 2012 at the age of 18, Kirk was a prominent supporter of Trump who courted young voters and used his network of nonprofits to seek to turn out voters on campuses and churches for Trump in 2024.

Kirk frequently traveled to college campuses, speaking and taking questions from audience members in exchanges that often led to viral videos. Kirk’s appearance at Utah Valley University on Wednesday was the first of a 14-city fall “American Comeback Tour.”

Kirk was answering a question at the event when a single pop was heard. Video taken by attendees shows the crowd screaming as Kirk recoiled in his seat and appeared to reach for his neck.

Among those in attendance was former US Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican. He said on Fox News he was at the event with his wife, daughter and son-in-law. He said Kirk “came out, he was throwing hats, riling up the crowd,” and then started taking questions before the shot rang out.

“I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards into his left,” he said.

The American Comeback Tour had Kirk’s signature “Prove Me Wrong Table,” where he would urge those who disagreed with him to debate an issue.

Kirk was also an author and prominent media personality who hosted a daily three-hour radio show. He traveled with a private security contingent, a Turning Point USA aide traveling on the tour told CNN, whether he was speaking to large rallies like the one in Orem, Utah, or at smaller events.

Trump has credited Kirk with galvanizing and mobilizing the youth vote for him. Kirk most recently appeared in the Oval Office in May, attending the swearing-in ceremony of Judge Jeanine Pirro.

The president and dozens of other Kirk allies – as well as Democrats who had sharp disagreements with him – posted well-wishes and calls for prayer online in the wake of the shooting.

An Illinois native, Kirk married Erika Frantzve in 2021. The couple had two young children.

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CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Aditi Sangal contributed to this report.