Charlie Kirk’s final words before he was shot while speaking with audiences at a Utah university have now been revealed. The Turning Point founder was killed on September 10 during an event at Utah Valley University that left the crowd in panic.
Donald Trump confirmed Kirk’s death on social media when it was still unclear what had happened. On Truth Social, he wrote: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Video from the event shows Kirk talking about gun violence right before the shooting. An audience member had asked: “Do you know many transgender Americans have been shooters over the last 10 years?” Kirk replied, “too many” which drew cheers from the crowd.
The person at the microphone then said the number was five and asked how many mass shooters there had been in the United States over the last decade. Kirk’s last words came as he responded: “Counting or not counting gang violence?” That was when a single gunshot went off and hit him in the neck.
The crowd scattered as chaos broke out. Police later said they had a suspect in custody, though it was not clear if this was the shooter. The FBI said that person has since been released. FBI Director Kash Patel posted: “The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
Another person was also arrested but released after officials said there were no current ties to the shooting. In a video on Truth Social, Trump said he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.” Utah Governor Spencer Cox called the killing a “political assassination.”
The FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety said the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack. They added: “The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard. Any additional clarifications cannot be provided to protect the integrity of our investigation.”
