Former President Barack Obama responded to the news that Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, 31, had died after being shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University, and noted that “this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.”
“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” Obama wrote in a post on X. “Michelle and I will be praying to Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Deseret News reported that several law enforcement agencies have “evacuated and locked down” the university campus in search of the shooter after Kirk was shot “in the neck” while holding a Q&A with students:
SWAT teams, ATF Police and other law enforcement agencies evacuated and locked down the UVU campus and are conducting a manhunt for the shooter.
Deseret News reporters Emma Pitts and Eva Terry were covering Kirk’s UVU rally. About 20 minutes after Kirk appeared at noon, he engaged in a Q&A with students.
The reporters then heard a gunshot from behind them, and it appeared Kirk was struck in the neck during during a Q&A with students.
Deseret News reporter Emma Pitts explained that Kirk’s “body went limp and then his eyes closed,” after being shot.
Other Democrats such as Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) responded to the news by expressing that they were praying for Kirk’s family and called for turning “down the temperature.”
“Our family grieves for Charlie Kirk’s family,” Fetterman wrote in a post. “We must collectively find a way forward during these polarized times.”
“I interviewed with Charlie Kirk just last month, and I saw a passionate young man who loved his country,” Adams wrote in a post on X. “Devastated to now learn of his assassination. Political violence has no place in our nation. We must turn down the temperature and stand united against hate. I pray for Charlie’s family and loved ones.”
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence,” former President Joe Biden wrote in a post. “It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
President Donald Trump ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-mast until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday in honor of Kirk, who he described as a “Great American Patriot.”
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