On Wednesday, September 10th, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Charlie Kirk, a right-wing conservative activist, was fatally shot. Charlie Kirk was known for touring college campuses around the country, offering his opinions and holding events where people could come up and challenge his ideas or ask him questions. He also acted as an advocate for President Donald Trump during the election season. He encouraged many young people to vote in general and specifically for Donald Trump.
Charlie Kirk was a 31-year-old father of two young children and a husband to Erika Kirk. Kirk was a cofounder of a youth political organization called Turning Point USA. At the time of Kirk’s death, Turning Point USA was holding its “Comeback Tour.” This event included his “Prove me Wrong” talk, where Kirk debated with students on a variety of political topics.
Approximately 3,000 people attended his talk on the day of his death. In the moments leading up to his shooting, Kirk was debating a student on gun violence and safety. The next second, at 12:20 pm, a shot rang out, Kirk went limp, and the crowd started fleeing. After the single shot was fired, chaos spread as everyone ran for safety, trying to process what was happening. Kirk was hit in the neck near the carotid artery and lost a substantial amount of blood. He was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around an hour later.
Authorities now say that the suspect was on a roof directly across from where Kirk was with a rifle and ammunition. The ammunition casing that was left on the roof was found to be engraved with messages. One of the bullet casings read “Hey fascist! Catch!” Pictures and videos of the suspect lying and running on the roof were released, and the U.S. Marshals joined in on the manhunt for the killer of Charlie Kirk. A $100,000 reward was also offered to the public for information on the suspect.
As of Friday, September 12th, police have Tyler Robinson in custody as the possible shooter. The Utah governor, Spencer Cox, reported on Friday morning that one of Robinson’s family members told a family friend about the incident, and that family friend talked to the police. The family friend told the authorities that Robinson confessed or implied that he was responsible for the shooting. A family member also recalled that Robinson had become very invested in politics and even said at a family dinner beforehand that Kirk would be attending Utah Valley University and leading a debate.
Since the shooting, America has been even more divided than before. This shooting calls the United States to take a look at political violence and the concept of free speech. An interview conducted with Mr. Lehner, Bishop O’Dowd’s very own United States Government teacher, questioned whether the shooting would threaten the value of free speech. Mr. Lehner answered, “Free speech is one of the core tenets of American Democracy, and I think it will remain so. History would suggest that Americans are a hearty bunch of people, and I don’t see anyone from all the corners of the political spectrum backing down for fear of political violence.”
In a statement by Donald Trump, he attributes the shooting to political violence targeted at Republicans. He does not mention any violence against Democrats or the assassination that happened in June of Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota state representative, her husband, and her dog.
The Bishop O’Dowd administration has not directly addressed the shooting, but has had the flag fully covered almost all week. Donald Trump issued an order to keep all flags half-mast until Sunday, September 14th, in remembrance of Charlie Kirk, although the only time the flag has been at half-mast this week was for 9/11.
