MAGA Influencer Charlie Kirk Dies After Being Shot in Neck at Utah Event: Report

Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old right-wing influencer and founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck in Utah, according to a report from Deseret News and videos posted to social media. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Kirk had died. Kirk’s spokesperson, Andrew Kolvet, confirmed his death to the New York Times.

Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and a single shot was fired, according to the news outlet. Video posted to X captured the shooting, which showed Kirk’s head jolting backward after what sounds like a gunshot.

Content warning: The video below is disturbing. [Update: The video has been deleted by X for violating the platform’s rules.]

This is insane. Charlie kirk has been shot
The fascists are the left pic.twitter.com/UmNpfwo8Ia

— Matt (@amattattack) September 10, 2025

Video that was even more graphic was also posted to X, showing a large amount of blood.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,†Trump wrote on Truth Social at 3:40 p.m. ET.

“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!†Trump continued.

Utah Valley University earlier reported that a shooter was in custody, and unverified video purporting to show the gunman went going viral on X. But the man who was arrested in the viral video was not the shooter, according to the New York Times. A suspect is not in custody.

A spokesperson for the university said that the shooter was located at the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, according to the New York Times. But it’s also unclear if that refers to the man who was mistakenly arrested or the real shooter.

Kirk established himself as a high-profile figure in the MAGA movement by debating college kids on political issues, which appears to be what he was doing when he was shot. Deseret News reports he was engaging in a Q&A on the campus. Kirk’s appearance in Utah was the first of what was scheduled to be a 15 city “American Comeback Tour.â€

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that agents traveled to the scene of the shooting.

“We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,†Patel wrote. “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.â€

Kirk has a long history of supporting gun rights, including in 2023 when he argued that anyone aspiring to zero gun deaths was arguing for a “utopian society†that could never be achieved.

“It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment,†Kirk argued at the time.

Charlie Kirk: “It’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendmentâ€https://t.co/uoM6TqnAgJ pic.twitter.com/mbJSa2Lzmi

— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) April 6, 2023

Billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of X, responded to the videos circulating on social media, writing, “The shot looked real bad, but I sure hope Charlie makes it somehow. The Tesla CEO also wrote “the left is the party of murder.â€

Fellow conservative commentators on X also responded with an outpouring of support for Kirk. “Everyone please stop what you are doing and pray for Charlie Kirk. Please,†Candace Owens wrote on the social media platform.

White supremacist Nick Fuentes, who once had someone show up to his own house with a gun, wrote on X that it “feels like a nightmare,†describing it as “one of the most horrific things†he’s ever seen.

“I feel absolutely gutted and devastated. Pray for Charlie Kirk’s soul, his young family and for our country. The violence and hatred has to stop. Our country needs Christ now more than ever,†Fuentes wrote.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and proponent of stricter gun control laws, posted to X that Americans must reject political violence. “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,†Newsom wrote.

Vice President JD Vance showed his support for Kirk in multiple tweets before confirmation of his death, writing, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.†Vance also shared a photo of the two men, along with President Donald Trump’s son Don Jr.

Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour. pic.twitter.com/RqNYfHLs2b

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 10, 2025

Kirk’s last post on X before the shooting said that it was “100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska,†a 23-year-old woman who was recently killed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If we want things to change, it’s 100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska because it was politics that allowed a savage monster with 14 priors to be free on the streets to kill her. pic.twitter.com/ZP7cFNDtvx

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 10, 2025

Jason Chaffetz, a former Republican congressman from Utah, suggested without evidence on Fox News that the shooter might be trans. It’s become a common claim on the right that most mass shooters are trans, something that’s not true.

Utah Valley University didn’t immediately respond to Gizmodo’s questions on Wednesday. We’ll update this article when we hear back.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.