One of American conservatism’s most influential figures has been slain, spurring outrage and sadness across the country.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was speaking at an event on the Utah Valley University campus Wednesday when reports surfaced that the conservative had been shot. Shortly afterwards, video footage began circulating on social media in which Kirk could be seen sitting under a tent and talking to students before clutching his neck and falling sideways as a muffled gunshot was heard. Another video showed the moment in close-up, with blood visibly pouring from Kirk’s neck. Across social media, conservatives and right-wing figures put aside ideological and political differences to ask for prayers for Kirk and his family.

Several hours after the shooting, President Donald Trump confirmed that Kirk had not survived. “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 was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump shared in a Truth Social post. “Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

“I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions, and tonight, all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror,” the president said in a video posted to social media after Kirk’s death was announced. “He’s a martyr for truth and freedom, and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God in heaven.”

“It’s long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible,” Trump observed. “For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.” The president continued:

“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials, and everyone else who brings order to our country. From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, which killed a husband and father to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a health care executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical Left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”

“Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country. An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed, because together we will ensure that his voice, his message, and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come,” Trump declared. “Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie’s voice has become bigger and grander than ever before, and it’s not even close. May God bless his memory. May God watch over his family. And may God bless the United States of America.”

Vice President J.D. Vance also paid tribute to Kirk in a lengthy social media post, recounting the friendship the two built over the years and the patriotism and Christian devotion Kirk lived out every day. “Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him. I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years,” Vance said. “I was in a meeting in the West Wing when those group chats started lighting up with people telling Charlie they were praying for him. And that’s how I learned the news that my friend had been shot.”

“I prayed a lot over the next hour, as first good news and then bad trickled in. God didn’t answer those prayers, and that’s OK. He had other plans,” the vice president posted. “And now that Charlie is in heaven, I’ll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly. You ran a good race, my friend. We’ve got it from here.”

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a statement shared with The Washington Stand, “It is an incredibly emotionally charged moment for the country. Charlie’s death comes after we have watched the horrific slaughter of a young Ukrainian woman aboard a commuter train in Charlotte, NC.” He continued, “Lawlessness, violence, and bloodshed have become so frequent in American life that very little shocks our collective conscience. Yet the assassination of Charlie, as he peacefully engaged in dialogue on a university campus, has stunned millions of Americans across the political spectrum.” Perkins added, “We must recognize that while our earthly battles are waged in political and cultural arenas, their roots are spiritual. Without confronting the spiritual decay at the heart of our crisis, no policy or program will suffice.”

Kirk’s political enemies, however, have been less gracious. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) led congressmen in a moment of silence to honor the TPUSA founder, but when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) asked for a moment to pray for Kirk, Democrats erupted in shouting, rejecting the suggestion of prayer. Numerous leftists online have also mocked or celebrated Kirk’s murder. Some have made crude comments about Kirk’s support for the Second Amendment, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has used Kirk’s murder to call for gun control laws. Others have called for ignoring Kirk’s children because “not a single one of you gave a rats [sic] ass about” George Floyd’s children, while others have posted videos mocking or denigrating Kirk’s death.

So far, no suspect has been identified or detained. Two people were taken into custody immediately following the shooting but have since been released. The FBI and local law enforcement partners have asked members of the public to share any information that may lead to the identification and arrest of the killer.

In 2012, at the age of 18, Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a conservative activist and advocacy organization which mainly operates on high school, college, and university campuses. He served as Turning Point’s CEO from its founding until his death. He also founded Turning Point Action and Turning Point Faith and was, according to Trump, Vance, and numerous conservative activists, a key figure in securing Trump’s 2024 reelection. Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and two children, a three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.