Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s final words about transgender mass shooters before assassination revealed
Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, often expressed conservative and anti-LGBTQ+ views
By Callum Wells
Right-wing activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead during a campus event in Utah yesterday (10 September), moments after responding to a question about transgender mass shooters.
The 31-year-old was speaking at Utah Valley University when the attack occurred.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that a suspect had been taken into custody, though multiple sources later reported the individual was released. Police continue to investigate, with reports that shots were fired from an academic building while campus authorities evacuated people “building to building”.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” – Charlie Kirk was asked by one attendee
Footage from the event shows Kirk answering questions from the audience just seconds before he was shot. One attendee asked: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?”
“Too many,” Kirk replied. The same audience member followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk responded – and moments later a loud bang rang out. Video shows him jolting backward in his seat, blood visible on his neck, as the crowd of around 3,000 scrambled for cover.
Emma Pitts, a reporter for Deseret News who was present, described the immediate chaos to The Guardian: “Before he could answer, we heard a gunshot and saw Charlie Kirk’s neck turn to the side. There was blood, immediately a lot of blood. Everyone dropped to the ground. Me and Eva [her colleague] hugged each other as tight as we could, trying to stay hidden. Within a minute, the crowd started running, and the university was evacuated.”
“He was loved and admired by all, especially me” – US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump, a close ally of Kirk, confirmed his death on Truth Social: “No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by all, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.” Trump later ordered flags across the US to be flown at half-mast in Kirk’s honour, calling him “a truly great American Patriot.”
Former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama also responded. Biden said: “No place in our country for this kind of violence.” Obama added on X: “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, was known for holding open-air debates on campuses, often expressing right-wing and anti-LGBTQ+ views.