Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, according to law enforcement sources.
A single shot was fired on the Orem campus toward Kirk, a visiting speaker, shortly after noon, the school said.
“He was hit and taken from the location by his security,” the university said.
A suspect in the shooting remains at large, according to Orem police, which said they are supporting Utah Valley University in the investigation. The university had previously said a suspect was in custody.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University, Sept. 10, 2025.
Charlie Kirk/Instagram
Kirk, 31, is currently in the hospital, according to Turning Point USA.
“This is an ongoing situation. We can confirm that Charlie Kirk has been shot. He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,” the organization said in a statement.
There was no immediate update on his condition.
President Donald Trump posted on social media: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
“It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen,” Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
FBI and ATF agents are on the scene, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency “stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
In this July 15, 2024, file photo, CEO of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk speaks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, FILE
Utah Valley student Luke Pitman, who witnesses the shooting, told Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX that he heard a “big bang.”
“We thought it was confetti. Then, everyone started ducking down,” he told the station. “And then, I look over at Charlie Kirk and I see blood coming from his neck.”
Utah Sen. Mike Lee said he is “tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely.”
“Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there,” he said on social media.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University, Sept. 10, 2025.
Obtained by ABC News
Vice President JD Vance also said on X, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he is being briefed “following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk” during the conservative political activist’s visit to the campus.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act,” he said on X.
In this May 28, 2025, file photo, Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the back of the room as President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, FILE
The university was the first stop this fall for Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback Tour,” which is traveling to multiple college campuses around the country.
An event featuring Kirk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday was expected to include a “prove me wrong” table, according to the tour’s website.
Ahead of Kirk’s visit to Utah Valley University, some students started an online petition asking university administrators to stop him from coming.
The tour has planned stops in Utah, Colorado, Minneapolis, Virginia and elsewhere, according to its website.
Utah Valley University’s campus is closed and classes have been canceled until further notice, the school said.
“There is no call to shelter in place at this time,” Orem police said. “If you see something suspicious, please report it to police dispatch by calling 911 or the non-emergency number.”
In this Nov. 14, 2019, file photo, a. sign is shown on the campus of Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah.
Rick Bowmer/AP, FILE
The incident sparked immediate condemnation from leaders on both sides of the political aisle.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said on X.
Fellow Democratic governor, California’s Gavin Newsom, said on X that the “attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said the “attack was sickening and heartbreaking, and there is no place — ever — for violence in American politics.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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