On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, a nationally known conservative and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while on tour at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He died at 31 years old. The shooting occurred during Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour,” which—on that day—had drawn approximately 3,000 attendees. According to the police, the gunman opened fire just after 12:20 p.m., shooting Kirk in the neck while he had been debating about recent mass shootings and gun violence in America. Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their two young children, a one-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, were present in the audience at the time of the shooting. In the aftermath, their 3-year-old daughter, frightened by the gunshot, tried to run toward her father. Kirk was rushed by his private security personnel to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead later in the afternoon.
Authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson—who was able to escape from the roof of UVU—two days after the attack. He allegedly confessed to his father, who later turned Robinson in. Investigators say Robinson acted alone and believed his actions were motivated by a personal obsession with Kirk. Tyler Robinson grew up in a conservative household. However, in recent months, according to his family, he had begun to fully immerse himself in leftist political views as well as online culture. According to The Guardian, a global news source, inscriptions on bullet casings found at the crime scene included phrases like “Hey Fascist, catch,” and “If you read this, you are gay LMAO,” indicating someone seeking to get his message across as well as seeking attention from the online community.
In the days following Charlie Kirk’s death, a wave of misinformation about the suspect, Tyler Robinson, spread rapidly online. According to The Independent, a British online newspaper based in London, contrary to online rumors, Robinson is not a registered Democrat or Republican and hasn’t voted in any recent elections. Robinson is also not affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA); photos or claims tying him to the DSA are misidentifications. There also seems to be a video circulating throughout the online community depicting Robinson escaping into a parking lot immediately after the shooting; however, the video being shared was from a separate incident, a mass shooting in Reno, Nevada. According to the Poynter Institute, there also seems to be false information spreading that Robinson donated to the Trump campaign in 2020. This is misattributed; a different person by the name of Tyler Robinson from Utah donated. There is no evidence to suggest the suspect donated any money to any political campaigns. In recent days, he has been charged with aggravated murder, as well as six other charges, and prosecutors will pursue the death penalty.
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death, reactions have spanned the political and emotional spectrum. Videos across social media depict some far-leftists celebrating Kirk’s death. On MSNBC, Matthew Dowd, political analyst, sparked controversy when he suggested that the shot could have been one of celebration, and remarked, “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.” His comments were deemed insensitive and rude by the MSNBC president, as well as a majority of the American population; therefore, Dowd was let go from his position. The majority of people express that although they very much disagree with Kirk’s views, they feel that he didn’t deserve to die. Hunter Kozak, the last person to debate Charlie Kirk, responded to the shooting, stating, “I’m on the record for how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but he is still a human being – have we forgotten that? Are we crazy? I stand by so little of everything that he said, but one of the things that he stood by was conversation.” Although his opinions greatly differed from Kirk’s, Kozak was capable of showcasing sympathy in the face of tragedy. As Kozak illustrated, Kirk was ultimately just a human being with a family, spreading his opinion. And that is something not everyone is brave enough to do.
