Trump Grieves and Demands Justice
Published : 22:32, 11 September 2025
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University (UVU) as part of his "American Comeback Tour." The attack, widely suspected to be a targeted assassination, occurred around 12:20 p.m.
Mountain Time as Kirk was responding to audience questions on mass shootings and transgender issues. He was struck in the neck by a rifle shot believed to have been fired from a rooftop roughly 200 yards away. Authorities say the shooter remains at large, and a manhunt is underway.
Initially, two individuals were detained after the shooting, but were released after being found unconnected to the crime. Investigators are continuing to pursue evidence from multiple active crime scenes, and law enforcement agencies, including the Utah Department of Public Safety, local police, and the FBI, are coordinating the investigation.
President Donald Trump called the killing a “heinous assassination” and described the event as a “dark moment for America.” In a video from the Oval Office, he said he was “filled with grief and anger,” praising Kirk as a “martyr for truth and freedom,” and blaming the “radical left” for fostering the political climate that led to the violence. Flags across the United States were ordered to half-mast in his honor.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox labeled the shooting a “political assassination” and vowed that the perpetrator would face full accountability, including possible application of the death penalty. Bipartisan condemnation came swiftly from both Republican and Democratic leaders, with many warnings of the rising threat of political violence in the United States.
University officials closed the campus in the aftermath, canceled classes, and described the broader national reaction as one of shock and sorrow. Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA and had become a major figure among conservative youth circles, leaves behind a wife and two young children.
Sources: Reuters, People, The Guardian, Associated Press, Financial Times, New York Post
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