Charlie Kirk fatally shot during event at Utah Valley University

Evelyn Palma, Editor-in-Chief • September 10, 2025

Updated: Sept. 10, 4:26 p.m.

Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at age 31, 20 minutes after he began speaking for “The American Comeback Tour,” an event held at Utah Valley University, according to NBC News reports.

The campus has since been closed and classes have been cancelled. There is currently no shooter in custody.

Kirk was a rightwing activist and ally of President Donald Trump. Trump took to Truth Social to mourn Kirk’s death and send his sympathies.

@realDonaldTrump

President Trump also announced on Truth Social that he is ordering all American Flags to be lowered to half-mast until Sunday, Sept. 14 in honor of who he calls a “Great American Patriot.” Lowering the flag to half-mast or half-staff are for period of mourning for the whole nation and can be proclaimed by the U.S. president in the event of a death of a member or former member of government.

@realDonaldTrump

Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox has also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff, “in recognition of the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk,” he said on X.

Charlie Kirk was a co-funder of Turning Point USA, a right-wing nonprofit organization that is, “committed to identifying, educating, training and organizing student to promote freedom” according to tpusa.com. He was also a media personality garnering much attention for his “Prove Me Wrong” videos that usually took place on college campuses, where he invited students to challenge his views on political and cultural issues.

According to an update reported by BBC, Kirk’s wife and two children were at the event on the university’s campus at the time of the shooting.

The incident is still under further investigation.

Evelyn Palma is the editor-in-chief of The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @evelynp.media and on LinkedIn @evelynpalma-media.

About the Contributors

Evelyn Palma, Editor-in-Chief

Evelyn Palma is a senior multimedia journalism major at UTEP minoring in management. She is the editor-in-chief of The Prospector. Evelyn currently serves as the president of the UTEP chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and secretary of Student AdFed. With a passion for media, she is preparing to pursue graduate studies in journalism and a career dedicated to storytelling. She may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on LinkedIn @evelynpalma-media and Instagram @evelynp.media.

Kahri Reyes, Audience & Engagement Editor

Kahri Reyes is a senior attending the University of Texas at El Paso, majoring in media advertising and minoring in graphic design. She is the audience and engagement editor for The Prospector. She is simultaneously a co-social media manager for the UTEP Student AdFed. After graduation, she aspires to become a creative strategist for big companies such as Adobe or Apple.