Charlie Kirk: Powerful right-wing influencer and Trump ally shot dead at event in Utah

Right-wing American influencer Charlie Kirk has died after being shot, according to Donald Trump.

The US president announced the death of his ally, a 31-year-old conservative student leader, after he was targeted during a university event in Orem, Utah.

"The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," wrote the American leader on his Truth Social account.

"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."

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The mayor of Orem, David Young, has said the suspect in the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University remains at large.

Earlier, witnesses said they heard shots fired from a nearby building as Mr Kirk spoke, a university spokesperson told Sky's US partner NBC News.

Videos on social media show Mr Kirk talking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent with the slogans "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong".

A single shot is heard and Mr Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood comes out from the left side of his neck. He then falls off his chair.

A university spokesperson confirmed he had been shot in the neck. He was then taken to hospital by private security and underwent surgery.

President Trump earlier asked people to pray for the activist.

The father-of-two was the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.

The university had said a suspect was in custody but later clarified that was not the case.

Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November's presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.

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President Trump often spoken favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.

During a rally in Washington the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr Trump told attendees: "Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy."

A few weeks before, during a rally in Las Vegas on 22 December 2024, Mr Trump called Mr Kirk "incredible", adding that he "is a special talent, and he's out there fighting".

The president, then a candidate for the White House, also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix.

"I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He's really an amazing guy. Amazing guy," Mr Trump said.

The president, on the campaign trail last June, also lauded Mr Kirk at a Turning Point Action town hall in Phoenix, saying, "I want to thank a special person, Charlie Kirk, for his tremendous leadership."

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