(NEXSTAR) — Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is in critical condition after being shot while speaking at an event at a Utah college, and the suspect is not in custody, according to officials.
Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, during an event for the organization he co-founded, Turning Point.
Shortly after noon MT, UVU said a single gunshot was fired and Kirk was struck. Kirk was then “taken from the location by his security.”
Kirk, meanwhile, has been hospitalized and is listed as being in critical condition, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The UK chapter of Turning Point has also said, “Charlie is alive and fighting.”
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching for his neck with his right hand as he bled heavily. Another video posted to social media showed multiple people carrying Kirk to a vehicle.
Stunned spectators can be heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away. The Associated Press was able to confirm the videos were taken at the Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley University campus, where Kirk was speaking Wednesday.
Suspect not in custody
Initially, the university said a suspect had been taken into custody, but a spokesperson has since said that person is not believed to be the shooter.
A spokesperson with the Orem Fire Department confirmed to Nexstar’s KTVX that law enforcement is breaching a building on the UVU campus, describing this as an active shooter situation.
UVU event met with divided opinions, petition
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization and, according to witnesses, had been asked about transgender gun rights just before the shooting.
The event at UVU had been met with divided opinions on campus. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
A witness at the scene told Nexstar’s KTVX that the shooting appeared targeted.
“We all heard a shooting, like a big bang. We thought it was confetti. Then, everyone started ducking down. And then, I look over at Charlie Kirk and I see blood coming from his neck,” UVU student Luke Pitman said.
Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who was at the event, said in an interview on Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back.
“It seemed like it was a close shot,” Chaffetz said, who seemed shaken as he spoke. He said there was a light police presence at the event and Kirk had some security but not enough.
“Utah is one of the safest places on the planet,” he said. “And so we just don’t have these types of things.”
The UVU campus has closed for the day, officials confirmed.
FBI responding, Trump and others react
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency is “closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) wrote on X that he had been briefed about the situation and that “those responsible will be held fully accountable.” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also wrote that he was “tracking the situation” and “praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there.”
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance shared similar remarks, both asking for prayers for Kirk on Truth Social and X, respectively. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have issued similar statements.
What is Turning Point?
Kirk founded Turning Point in suburban Chicago in 2012 alongside William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success.
But Kirk’s zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers.
Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, during the general election campaign.
Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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