By John Ogunsemore
American conservative activist and President Donald Trump’s ally, Charlie Kirk has been shot dead.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a speaking event at a university in Utah on Wednesday.
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Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” he wrote.
Reports say the incident occurred shortly after noon during a question-and-answer session with students at an outdoor stage on the Utah Valley University’s campus in Orem, Utah.
Kirk was answering a student’s question about mass shooters when a single bullet hit him near the neck, as seen in videos circulating on social media.
The footage shows Kirk recoiling and bleeding heavily before collapsing, prompting panic among attendees who fled the scene.
The university confirmed that the shot was fired from a nearby building toward the visiting speaker, and Kirk was removed from the premises and rushed to hospital by his security team.
A suspect was taken into custody but later released.
Kirk, a father of two, was a well-known supporter of Trump and played a key role in mobilising conservative youth through Turning Point USA, a nonprofit focused on engaging students on college campuses.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump said in his Truth Social post.
The shooting comes amid heightened concerns about political violence in the United States, following incidents such as the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker in June and an attempt on Trump’s life during a campaign rally in 2024.
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