Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, during an outdoor Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Kirk was addressing roughly 3,000 people at a Turning Point USA “American Comeback Tour” event when a single bullet struck him in the neck. He had just begun answering a question about mass shootings. Video showed him collapsing beneath a tent marked “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined the shot came from the roof of the nearby Losee Center, approximately 140–200 yards away. Authorities initially detained a bystander but later released him; the shooter was later identified as 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson of Washington, Utah, who surrendered after his family contacted authorities. He faces aggravated murder and other charges, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.
The killing left Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two young children (a daughter and a son) devastated, along with his broader family and supporters. Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the attack as a political assassination and vowed accountability. President Donald Trump called Kirk “great, even legendary,” while California Governor Gavin Newsom described the shooting as “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible” and urged rejection of political violence in all forms.
The attack highlighted security shortcomings at the event—no bag checks or rigorous screening were reported—and intensified national debate over political violence and campus safety. Kirk is remembered as a high-profile conservative activist who built Turning Point USA into a major youth movement.
