President Trump has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until September 14 to honor an ally who was shot dead.
On September 10, Charlie Kirk — a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and the founder of the conservative nonprofit organization Turning Point — was shot and killed while speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, according to The New York Times. Kirk was only 31 years old.
Video footage of the incident shows Kirk delivering an outdoor speech before a crowd of around 3,000 people at the “Prove Me Wrong” debate. As he was speaking and inviting students to challenge his political and cultural views, gunshots rang out and blood spurted from his neck.
Authorities working at the crime scene. President Trump ordered flags lowered following the incident. (The New York Times)
University spokesperson Ellen Treanor stated that Kirk was struck about 20 minutes into his speech on campus. According to her, the suspected shooter fired at Kirk from the Losee Center, a building more than 90 meters away.
Authorities are still searching for the gunman and conducting an investigation. Four agencies are involved: Orem City Police, Utah Valley University Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Utah Department of Public Safety. The campus has since been shut down and classes suspended.
Charlie Kirk with President Trump at an event in 2024.
On social media, President Trump mourned Kirk, writing that the “great, even legendary, Charlie Kirk has passed away.” Trump said Kirk was loved and admired by everyone, especially himself.
President Trump also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across the United States until 6 p.m. on September 14 in memory of Kirk.
Many Democrats and Republicans condemned the shooting, both online and in Congress. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called the act “vile, despicable, and reprehensible.”
Former President Barack Obama also posted on social media: “We still don’t know the motive of the shooter who killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of cowardly violence has no place in our democracy.”
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