Trump ally, Charlie Kirk, shot at campus event

United States’ Conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk, was shot during an event at a Utah college on Wednesday, police confirmed.

Kirk, a high-profile supporter of President Donald Trump, frequently visits universities nationwide to host debates and discussions.

Authorities said the incident took place around 12:10 p.m. local time. The shooter was quickly apprehended.

“He was shot in the neck. He’s at the hospital. It doesn’t look good,” said Marina Minas of Turning Point USA, the conservative group founded by Kirk.

Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance urged the public to keep Kirk in their prayers. News of the attack caused shock within the White House, according to reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr.

Kirk has long been close to Trump and his family. In January, he joined Donald Trump Jr. on a trip to Greenland.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed he had been updated on the situation and pledged accountability for the attacker. “Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act,” he wrote on X.

Kirk has become one of the most prominent conservative voices in the country. Through his organization Turning Point USA, which operates on hundreds of college campuses, he has built a large following and earned a key role in Trump’s political movement.

Turning Point invested significant resources in battleground states during the last presidential race, underscoring Kirk’s influence. He has spoken at Republican conventions, and Trump addressed one of the group’s major conferences in Arizona last year.

Kirk’s outspoken evangelical Christian faith, along with his family life—he is married to a former Miss Arizona and has two children—remain central to his politics.

Admirers see him as the next generation of conservative activism, while critics describe him as one of the movement’s most polarizing figures.

Campus police later issued a statement on X confirming both the shooting and the arrest. “Today at about 12:10 a shot was fired at the visiting speaker, Charlie Kirk. He was hit and taken from the location by his security. Campus police is investigating, a suspect is in custody,” the update read.