TW: This article mentions violence leading to death.
Has the abrupt shooting of people become the new normal in America as of 2025? In a shocking attempt, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday night.
He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at 18 and was its executive director. While the suspect remained at large as two people were taken into custody, FBI authorities and Utah Governor Spencer Cox declared this incident a “political assassination” and yet another “targeted attack.” According to the latest update, the suspect was released after “an interrogation by law enforcement.”
According to officials, a single sniper bullet hit him in the neck. He was seen raising his hand as blood began pouring from his neck, and he was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later. Disturbing footage from the scene shows 31-year-old Kirk responding to a question about transgender-related violence moments before a loud gunshot rang out. ( via The Irish Star).
Interestingly, just hours before conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot, his wife, Erika Kirk, shared a Bible verse from Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” The verse now brings shivers down the spine as it feels like a prophecy. Erika has yet to release a public statement regarding the incident as the family mourns the untimely death. The couple had just tied the knot in 2021. Alas! Her time with Charlie was short-lived.
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In the wake of his demise, Pastor Ron Williams told the crowd that Charlie Kirk was “a young man that was full of passion, full of love, and he loved his country and he loved his family.” He urged people to choose love over violence in an opening prayer and told them to raise their voices against the injustice that took the young man’s life.
The couple shares two young children, a daughter born in August 2022 and a son born in May 2024. The shooter fired from a nearby building, the Losee Center, located roughly 200 yards from where Charlie Kirk stood. The FBI has already begun its search for the notorious killer and opened a tip line to aid in the case.
RIP #CharlieKirk 🪽
10.13.1993 ~ 09.10.2025
Dear God, I come before you today in Jesus’ name to #pray for Charlie’s family ~ Please be with his wife, Erika, and their two children. Please give them strength, courage & comfort them in their time of need. In #Jesus’ name, I… pic.twitter.com/YRezvQY2jF
— Iris Seraphina (@iris_seraphina) September 10, 2025
The TPUSA event had already been controversial. A petition with nearly 1,000 signatures had urged university officials to cancel Kirk’s appearance. Still, the university defended its decision to allow the speech, citing reasons from the Constitution and “free speech and intellectual inquiry.”
As America’s political sphere mourned the Chicago native’s death, Donald Trump confirmed his death via Truth Social and condemned the increased violence in the country. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now,” he said. ( via NBC News).
President Trump: “I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions…This is a dark moment for America.”
Trump says Kirk has become “a martyr for truth and freedom.”pic.twitter.com/ttRcpdvOAf
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) September 11, 2025
His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., mourned his death, saying Kirk “was a brother to me, and I will carry that with me forever.” Trump also blamed the “radical left” for his death and ordered flags to be lowered until sunset in federal buildings. Kirk was very close to the Trump family; they had done much work together.
He addressed the 2016 National Convention and became chairman of Students for Trump, which was acquired by Turning Point Action. He was also a radio host for “The Charlie Kirk Show.”
Last month, in August, two children met a tragic end while praying and several others were injured following a mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The attacker, named Robin Westman, died of a self-inflicted wound on the spot. Many people have claimed that Westman’s motives for the attack could be related to his trans identity.
