Right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10.

Kirk, 31, was the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative group that focuses on right-wing activism on college campuses across the country, where Kirk frequently spoke and debated students.

Kirk was speaking at an outdoor event on the university’s campus in Orem, Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City, when he was shot.

A video of the event that circulated online shows Kirk speaking to a large crowd from under a tent when a shot rang out. Kirk fell back in his chair before people began to run, and the video cut out.

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X that a suspect had been apprehended.

“The subject for the horrible shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” Patel wrote. “Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with the FBI. We will provide updates when available.”

After the announcement of his death, condolences began to pour in from across the ideological spectrum. 

During the 2024 election, Kirk was a vocal supporter of then-candidate Donald Trump. Now, in his role as president, Trump has ordered flags flown at half-mast until Sunday night to honor the person that he described as a “truly Great American Patriot.”

Dean Withers, a left-wing commentator and debater who was a vocal critic of Kirk’s, posted a video of himself online denouncing the violence after Kirk’s death.

“I think Charlie Kirk is a bad person,” Withers began. “Do I think that he deserved to lose his life? No.”

“Does that mean that I think that his two young children, who were also in attendance at the event, deserved to watch their father die? No. And, honestly, if you said yes to any of those questions, there is very clear line drawn between me and you. I don’t want your support, and I don’t support you either,” said Withers.

Details about the suspect have not been released.

This is a developing story.

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