UPDATED: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk is killed in Utah, 'person of interest' in custody

UPDATED STORY: Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at an event at a Utah college, officials said. A "person of interest" was in custody Wednesday evening, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, though no charges were immediately announced. Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone at Utah Valley University in Sorensen Center courtyard, sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans, "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong." A single shot rings out and Kirk reaches up with his hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream. Some run away. The shooting quickly drew reaction from leading political figures, including some victims of political violence. Here's the latest: Moments before the shootingVideo shows Kirk had been taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence. "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?" an audience member asked. Kirk responded, "Too many." The questioner followed up: "Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?" "Counting or not counting gang violence?" Kirk asked. Then a single shot rang out. Thousands turned out for Kirk's appearance and police were also presentJeff Long, chief of Utah Valley University Police Department, says six officers working at Kirk's campus event and more than 3,000 people were in attendance. The police chief says his officers coordinated their operation with Kirk's security team, and plainclothes police officers were also present. At the time he was shot, Kirk was speaking to the throng in a low area surrounded by campus buildings. Long said law enforcement tries to get the "bases covered." But he added, "unfortunately today we didn't, and because of that we have this tragic incident." Students, meanwhile, told The Associated Press they saw no metal detectors or bag checks. The amount of security appeared consistent with other speaking engagements on Kirk's national tour. FBI appeals to the public for information about the shootingThe FBI's Salt Lake City office has added an online form to its website where the public can report information about Kirk's killing. The form says the FBI is "seeking information regarding the shooting at Utah Valley University that took place on September 10, 2025." It asks the person submitting the form to include their name and contact information and then includes a section for information about the incident. Donald Trump Jr. says Kirk wasn't a threat to anyoneIn a lengthy social media post, President Trump's son says Kirk wasn't just a friend, but was "like a little brother to me" and a "true inspiration." Trump Jr. said Kirk "changed the direction of this nation" because "there is no question that Charlie's work and his voice helped my father win the presidency." He said Kirk was civil and kind, and listened and responded with respect. "The only 'threat' he ever posed was that he was incredibly effective. He was a powerful messenger of truth, and people heard that truth. That's what made him a target." Democrats in Congress mourn KirkDemocratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan appeared visibly upset while speaking to reporters on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. She said that she cried when she found out that Kirk had died. "All of us have got to work together and deescalate the heat and the rhetoric in this country, she said. Dingell added: "And remember we're Americans, and you can disagree in a way that doesn't end in the horrible way today did." Rep. Jamie Raskin expressed condolences to Kirk's family, adding, "What a nightmare this whole thing is." "It's a very dark time with the political violence spiraling out of control and gun violence a threat to everybody," Raskin continued. Utah governor says Kirk's death carries a tragic message for the state of the countryGov. Spencer Cox said that Kirk had come to the Utah Valley University campus to represent his conservative views and debate. Targeting people for their ideas threatens the country's "constitutional foundations," he said. "We just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be," he said. "I don't care what his politics are. I care that he was an American." Cox said the first of the inalienable rights enshrined in the Declaration of Independence is "life, and today a life was taken. Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a husband and a dad to young children. He was also very much politically involved. And that's why he was here on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and to persuade people." Kirk backers leave flowers at Turning Point headquartersThe flags outside Turning Point USA's Phoenix headquarters have been lowered to half staff. Bouquets of flowers delivered by well-wishers are piling up by the main door to one of at least three buildings that make up Turning Point's campus. The organization's presence has grown steadily in a quiet neighborhood at the base of South Mountain park. Former President George W. Bush says violence must be 'purged from the public square'Bush lamented the killing and said "an open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct" on a college campus, where Kirk was shot. In his statement, Bush added: "Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens." The Republican ex-president closed the statement by asking God to bless Kirk and his family and "guide America toward civility." Another former president, Democrat Bill Clinton, wrote on X that he was saddened and angered by the killing, adding he hoped "we all go through some serious introspection" and "redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully." Kirk follower says he went to Turning Point USA's headquarters to give large donation in personRetiree Alex Lane said news of Kirk's killing prompted him to head to the organization's Phoenix headquarters and hand the organization a $10,000 check. "I hope and trust that they're going to continue with the message that he had," Lane, 54, told The Associated Press while standing outside the headquarters. Lane said he was a follower of Kirk's and had given to Turning Point before, but never such a large sum. "It's a huge loss, there's no question about it," Lane said. "But I think the important thing for people to understand is that (Kirk's message) is going to continue. The assassin didn't stop it. If anything, I think it will bring more attention to his message." Lawmakers reflect on Kirk's influenceMultiple Republicans in Congress knew Kirk personally and were devastated by his death. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida spoke on the Capitol steps, reflecting on his influence on her political journey. Luna said she was planning to go to medical school before Kirk recruited her to work as his national Hispanic outreach director. She attended events where Kirk debated students, like the one he hosted today. "That conversation needs to happen," Luna said. "You can't squelch that." Kirk killed with single shot in supposed targeted attack, authorities sayUtah Gov. Spencer Cox called the killing a "political assassination." A "person of interest" was in custody Wednesday evening, Cox said, though no charges were immediately announced. "This is a dark day for our state," Cox said. "We are actively looking for anyone and everyone who has any information related to the shooting," he said. Utah authorities said the shooter wore dark clothing and fired from a roof on campus some distance away. RFK Jr., son and nephew of assassinated leaders, laments another lossHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared to invoke his family's losses as he reacted to Kirk's killing. "Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era," Kennedy wrote on social media. He called Kirk a "relentless and courageous crusader for free speech." Kennedy's father, for whom he was named, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. The elder Kennedy was an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War before many elected leaders in Washington. He also had been an advocate for civil rights legislation as attorney general during his brother's presidency and after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Kirk fans pay their respects at the Turning Point headquarters in PhoenixOne man delivered flowers and wiped tears from his face as he left. He said he was too broken up to speak to reporters. On the sidewalk, 14-year-old Samuel Monahan embraced his parents in prayer. "This is what happens when we're without God," said Monahan. The teenager said he admired Kirk for being a man of God who cared about people. The country is so polarized, he said, "but it didn't have to be that way because we all bow our heads under one flag and under one God." Former President Obama condemns Kirk's 'despicable' killing"This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy," former President Barack Obama wrote on X. He said he and former first lady Michelle Obama will pray for Kirk's wife and two young children. Chaffetz says he's angry about Kirk's death"It makes me mad. I'm so mad that this happened in our backyard. It's an embarrassment," the Utah Republican former member of Congress told Fox News Channel. Chaffetz was at the event where Kirk was shot. "We're better than this, but there's somebody out there who is evil, absolute total, complete evil and they need to be taken down," he said. Kirk's appearance at Utah Valley University marked the kickoff of his national college tourHe was calling it "The American Comeback Tour." And he was featuring his "Prove Me Wrong Table," where Kirk sat, as he was Wednesday, and fielded questions from students, including those who disagreed with him. He also had appearances slated for Colorado State University, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Virginia Tech University, Utah State University, the University of North Dakota, Montana State University, Indiana University Louisiana State University and the University of Mississippi over the next two months. The scene around campusArmed officers are walking around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for information on the shooter. Officers have been seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people to see if they recognize a person of interest. Mayor urges people to report anything suspiciousMayor David Young of the north-central Utah city of Orem says several local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating and that the suspect in Kirk's shooting remains at large. Young says police in Orem and at Utah Valley University are among many agencies involved in the investigation. Meanwhile, authorities have told anyone at Utah Valley University to 'secure in place' after Wednesday's shooting. The campus was closed, and a post on the school's emergency information page told those still on campus to call officials to be escorted out. An increase in violence against public officialsKirk's killing follows instances of political violence in the United States in recent months, including the assassination of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in June and the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington in May. Though little is known about the shooter or the motive in this case, it can't be ignored that polarization and normalization of violence have become threaded through U.S. politics, said Kurt Braddock, an assistant professor of public communication at American University. Braddock pointed to data from Princeton University's Bridging Divides Initiative, which shows that threat and harassment incidents against local officials also have been gradually increasing. "We're moving in a very dangerous direction, and I think we have been moving in this direction for quite some time," Braddock said. Trump says Kirk is deadThe president posted on Truth Social that the conservative activist and his close ally died Wednesday after being shot at a college event in Utah. "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 wrote on Truth Social that he has ordered that all American flags across the U.S. be lowered to half-staff until 6 p.m. ET Sunday. Kirk helped build support for Trump among young peopleCharlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster, culture warrior and Trump ally, was shot and killed Wednesday during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31. Kirk died doing what made him a potent political force — rallying the right on a college campus, this time Utah Valley University. His shooting is one of an escalating number of attacks on political figures, from the assassination of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota to last summer's shooting of Trump, that have roiled the nation. A backer of Trump during the president's initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe. Kirk's evangelical Christian beliefs were intertwined with his political perspective, and he argued there was no true separation of church and state. He also referenced the Seven Mountain Mandate, which specifies seven areas where Christians are to lead — politics, religion, media, business, family, education and the arts, and entertainment. Kirk argued for a new conservatism that advocated for freedom of speech, challenging Big Tech and the media, and centering working-class Americans beyond the nation's capital. Authorities are still searching for a suspectThe mayor of Orem, Utah, David Young, says the suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk remains at large. People at Utah Valley University, where the shooting occurred, have been told to 'secure in place' and the campus is closed. A post on the school's emergency information page told those still on campus to call officials to be escorted from the area by police. A person who was taken into custody at Utah Valley University was not the suspect, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly. — Michelle L. Price contributed Person arrested is not a suspect, AP source saysA person who was taken into custody at Utah Valley University was not the suspect, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly. It was not clear if authorities were still searching the campus for a suspect. — By Michelle L. Price Trump says Kirk 'was a very, very good friend'In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump said Kirk is "not doing well" and "it looks very bad." "He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person," Trump said. The president of Dartmouth College says a Kirk invite to that campus was in demandDartmouth College President Sian Beilock says a bipartisan student group invited Kirk to that Ivy League campus for a Sept. 25 event. Beilock says the event "was sold out within 10 minutes." Beilock made the comment during a media event Wednesday with other college presidents. Victims of political violence show support for KirkFormer U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, posted that "the horrific shooting today at Utah Valley University is reprehensible. Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation." Pelosi's husband was seriously injured in 2022 by a man wielding a hammer, who authorities said was a believer in conspiracy theories. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a serious brain injury in a 2011 shooting in Arizona, said she was "horrified" to hear of Kirk's shooting. "Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence," she said on social media. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and potential national candidate, said, "We must speak with moral clarity. The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society." A fire was set at his house. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was the subject of a kidnapping plot, said on social media that "we should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence." Two men were imprisoned for their 2020 plot to kidnap the governor during her first term. A Republican at the event says he heard one shotA former U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district, Jason Chaffetz, says when the shot rang out, Kirk had just been asked a question by someone in the crowd about transgender people and shootings. "As soon as I saw Charlie go back, you realize that it was a shot," Chaffetz says. "It wasn't as if there was a whole bunch of gunfire. It was one shot." Elected officials react to the shooting— Vice President JD Vance: "Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour." — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: "Political violence must be always and totally rejected," Buttigieg wrote on X. "Praying for him and all who may have been injured or impacted." — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker: "The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying. Political violence has no place in this country and should never become the norm. I'm sending my sympathies to his family and friends at this time." — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: speaking at a news conference on Everglades restoration Wednesday, said Kirk was known for sparking political debate rather than advocating hate or violence. "The way to resolve political disputes is not through violence. The way to do that is to ask questions, debate," he said. — Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper: "Violence is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the attack on Charlie Kirk and political violence in all forms. I'm praying for his swift recovery." — New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: "I'm horrified by the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college event in Utah. Political violence has no place in our country." — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "Praying for @charliekirk11″ Kirk is in critical conditionA law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press that Kirk is being treated and is in critical condition. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. — By Alana Durkin Richer Utah Valley University is the state's largest public universityWith nearly 47,000 students, Utah Valley University has grown to become the largest public university in Utah. It's located about 40 miles (65 miles) south of Salt Lake City, the state capital, and was founded in 1941 as a vocation school. From those beginnings, its enrollment has jumped five-fold over the past three decades. The college is not affiliated or owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church. Bipartisan rejections of political violence continueRep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and a potential 2028 presidential candidate, called the shooting "chilling & horrific" in an X post. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another Democrat and potential national candidate, said, "We must speak with moral clarity. The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society." Republican Senate Leader John Thune of South Dakota posted: "There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop." Gabby Giffords says she is horrified about the shootingGiffords, a former U.S. representative for Arizona who suffered a serious brain injury when she was shot in 2011, posted on X about the attack on Kirk. "I'm horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah," she wrote Wednesday. "Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence." Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point USAThe event at Utah Valley University had been met with divided opinions on campus. An online petition urging university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its "commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue." Trump says, 'we must all pray for Charlie Kirk.'"A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!" the president said in a post on Truth Social. FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is "closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk." Vice President JD Vance also called for prayers, calling Charlie Kirk "a genuinely good guy and a young father." Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Attorney General Pam Bondi, and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined the chorus of Trump officials offering their prayers to Kirk. Support also came from across the aisle. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the shooting "disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form." Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation." Aubrey Laitsch at Turning Point USA confirms Charlie Kirk has been hospitalized."He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time," said Aubrey Laitsch, public relations manager for Turning Point USA. Former Utah congressman says Kirk had some security but not enoughJason Chaffetz, a Republican who was at the event, said told Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back. "It seemed like it was a close shot," Chaffetz said, who seemed shaken as he spoke. He said there was a light police presence at the event and Kirk had some security but not enough. "Utah is one of the safest places on the planet," he said. "And so we just don't have these types of things." *** PREVIOUS REPORTIBG Charlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31. Kirk died doing what made him a potent political force — rallying the right on a college campus, this time Utah Valley University. His shooting is one of an escalating number of attacks on political figures, from the assassination of a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota to last summer's shooting of Trump, that have roiled the nation. Trump announced Kirk's death on his social media site, Truth Social: "No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie," Trump wrote. Kirk personified the pugnacious, populist conservatism that has taken over the Republican Party in the age of Trump. He launched his organization, Turning Point USA, in 2012, targeting younger people and venturing onto liberal-leaning college campuses where many GOP activists were nervous to tread. A backer of Trump during the president's initial 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Point from one of a constellation of well-funded conservative groups to the center of the right-of-center universe. Turning Point's political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump's 2024 campaign, trying to energize disaffected conservatives who rarely vote. Trump won Arizona, Turning Point's home state, by five percentage points after narrowly losing it in 2020. The group is known for its flamboyant events that often feature strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims more than 250,000 student members. Trump on Wednesday praised Kirk, who started as an unofficial adviser during Trump's 2016 campaign and more recently became a confidant. "He was a very, very good friend of mine and he was a tremendous person," Trump told the New York Post. Kirk showed off an apocalyptic style in his popular podcast, radio show and on the campaign trail. During an appearance with Trump in Georgia last fall, he said that Democrats "stand for everything God hates." Kirk called the Trump vs. Kamala Harris choice "a spiritual battle." "This is a Christian state. I'd like to see it stay that way," Kirk told the 10,000 or so Georgians, who at one point joined Kirk in a deafening chant of "Christ is King! Christ is King!" Kirk had also remained a regular presence on college campuses. Last year, for the social media program "Surrounded," he faced off against 20 liberal college students to defend his viewpoints, including that abortion is murder and should be illegal. Kirk was married to podcaster Erika Frantzve. They have two young children. Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by a then 18-year-old Kirk and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success. But Kirk's zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers. Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the former president's eldest son, during the general election campaign. Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences. As money poured in, Kirk bought a $4.75 million Spanish-style estate on a gated Arizona country club. Turning Point steered millions of dollars to contractors owned by Kirk and his associates, and some Republicans were skeptical when it announced it would spearhead an attempt to turn out infrequent voters during Trump's 2024 campaign. But as younger voters shifted right in 2024 and Trump ran up a five-point margin of victory in Arizona, Kirk and his allies claimed vindication of his view of a sharp-elbowed, culture-war-oriented conservatism. Kirk's evangelical Christian beliefs were intertwined with his political perspective, and he argued that there was no true separation of church and state. He also referenced the Seven Mountain Mandate, which specifies seven areas where Christians are to lead — politics, religion, media, business, family, education and the arts, and entertainment. Kirk argued for a new conservatism that advocated for freedom of speech, challenging Big Tech and the media, and centering working-class Americans beyond the nation's capital. "We have to ask ourselves a question as a conservative movement: Are we going to revert back to the party of the status quo ruling class?" he said in his speech opening the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2020. "Or are we going to learn from what I call the MAGA doctrine? The MAGA doctrine, which is a doctrine of American renewal, revival, one that America is the greatest country in the history of the world." EARLIER STORY: OREM, Utah (AP) — Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was in critical condition at a Utah hospital Wednesday after being shot at a college event, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong." A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away. The AP was able to confirm the videos were taken at Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley University campus. "We are confirming that he was shot and we are praying for Charlie," said Aubrey Laitsch, public relations manager for Turning Point USA. Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization. The event had been met with divided opinions on campus. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its "commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue." Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit to Utah colleges was sparking controversy. He wrote, "What's going on in Utah?" The college said a "single shot" had been fired at Kirk and a suspect was in custody. President Donald Trump and a host of Republican and Democratic elected officials decried the shooting and offered prayers for Kirk on social media. "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!" Trump posted on Truth Social. The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania's governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year. Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who was at the event, said in an interview on Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back. "It seemed like it was a close shot," Chaffetz said, who seemed shaken as he spoke. He said there was a light police presence at the event and Kirk had some security but not enough. "Utah is one of the safest places on the planet," he said. "And so we just don't have these types of things." Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success. But Kirk's zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers. Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, during the general election campaign. Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences. __ Richer and Sherman reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Michael Biesecker and Brian Slodysko in Washington contributed to this report.