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New Delhi: The US has witnessed another firing incident in which a close ally of US President Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, was shot dead. The 31-year-old conservative political activist was speaking at Utah Valley University on Thursday when he was fatally shot.
He was giving a speech to the students under a tent which was decorated with slogans like “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong” when the perpetrator fired a single gunshot, hitting him in the neck. It could be seen in disturbing footage of the incident that Kirk was clutching his wound as chaos erupted in the area.
Trump confirmed Kirk’s death and announced that till Sunday, American flags would fly at half-mast out of respect for the political activist. Authorities have not released the shooter's details or the motive behind the attack yet.
FBI Director Kash Patel took to X and informed, "The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody." Later, he gave an update, "The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues, and we will continue to release information in the interest of transparency." As per Utah Governor Spencer Cox, officials believe the shooting incident involved only one person. The investigation into the incident is currently underway.
A very close ally of Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk was one of the most famous conservative activists and media personalities in the US. While paying tribute to him, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "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."
He founded the group Turning Point when he was just 18, and it was established to spread conservative ideals at US colleges. He began a multi-campus Turning Point tour at Utah Valley University, where he was fatally shot. Kirk was a very close friend of Trump, and his Turning Point played a key role in the victory of the Republicans in last year's Presidential elections. He even attended Trump's inauguration in January in Washington, DC.
A community college dropout, political activist Kirk was an avid public speaker. He toured the country and spoke at several Republican events, and millions of people followed his daily conservative talk radio show. Notably, most of his daily podcasts began with a clip of Trump himself.
Trump called Kirk “a very, very good friend” and “a tremendous person. He wrote on Truth Social, “No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States better than Charlie."
Vice President JD Vance wrote, “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said disputes should be resolved “through debate, not violence.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.” After the attack, Utah Valley University was closed down, and tight security has been put in place on the campus.
