On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was assassinated at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, while speaking at an outdoor campus debate planned by Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization he co-founded and led. Kirk had been a close ally of US president Donald Trump and a highly influential figure in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
Shortly after the debate event began, with around 3,000 people in attendance, Kirk was fatally shot in the neck with a single bullet by a sniper positioned on the roof of a building approximately 142 yards (130 m) away. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at age 31. A manhunt for the shooter ended the following day when Tyler James Robinson, a 22-year-old from Washington, Utah, surrendered to the local sheriff after his parents allegedly convinced him to do so after he confessed to them. Prosecutors charged Robinson with a total of ten criminal counts including aggravated murder, and announced they would seek the death penalty, alleging a politically motivated attack. Robinson pleaded not guilty to all of the charges on September 1, 2026.
The assassination was highlighted as an instance of increasing political violence in the United States and was condemned by national and foreign leaders. Social media reactions featured expressions of heartfelt messages from the left and right, anguish about political violence, and sharply divisive partisan takes. Trump, members of the Republican Party, and other conservative figures blamed members of the Democratic Party and left-wing or liberal beliefs before a suspect was in custody or a motive was identified.
The Trump administration called for a crackdown against what it called "political extremism" on the left, which was widely criticized by free speech advocates and legal experts as using the assassination as a pretext to silence political opposition. A campaign by right-wing organizations and US government agencies resulted in mass firings and disciplinary actions against people seen as celebrating Kirk's death or making critical comments about him in the aftermath of the assassination. Kirk's memorial service was held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona on September 21.
Background
Charlie Kirk was an American right-wing political activist and media personality, known for co-founding and serving as CEO of Turning Point USA. A close ally of President Donald Trump, Kirk used his skills in social media and campus organizing to become a highly influential figure in the MAGA movement. Described as "something of a kingmaker" by The New York Times and as a "youth whisperer" by The Guardian, Kirk was able to rally support to protect embattled Trump cabinet nominees and against Republican Party figures he deemed insufficiently, or fully non-supportive of Trump. The Washington Post described him as "one of the most prominent voices on the right" in recent years. Axios described Kirk as a "driving force" in Trump's presidential campaigns.
Kirk's assassination occurred during a period of deepening division and increasingly frequent violence in American politics. It followed a series of violent political incidents, including the June 2025 shootings of two Democratic Minnesota legislators and their spouses, the May 2025 killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., the April 2025 arson attack on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro's residence, the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and assassination attempts on Trump in July and September 2024. At a campaign event in Kentucky with Nate Morris in June 2025, Kirk himself spoke about the potential for violence. He told the crowd: "We're on the front lines where it's not always safe."
Kirk's Utah Valley University appearance
Turning Point USA announced on August 27 that Kirk would be visiting several college campuses during September–October 2025 as a continuation of a speech and debate series titled the American Comeback Tour, which began in February. Kirk's appearance at UVU was scheduled to be the first tour stop of the season. Kirk had previously visited UVU in 2019 for a Turning Point USA event which he hosted with conservative political commentator Candace Owens.
A petition was circulated calling on the university to cancel his tour appearance, but university officials permitted the speech, citing free speech and open discussion policies. Preventable flaws in how the event was coordinated and secured were revealed by Kirk's security director, including rooftop exposure, drone restrictions, and staffing gaps in the days before the event. Security was provided by six police officers and Kirk's private security personnel. Although the event was ticketed, the ticketing was not enforced. Metal detectors were not used for entry to the event.
Timeline of the assassination
Officials stated the suspected gunman arrived on campus in a gray Dodge Challenger at 8:29 a.m. MDT (UTC–6). Security camera footage examined by investigators showed that he was dressed differently than he was around the time of the shooting.
Investigators said that the suspect reappeared on video at around 11:50 a.m., when he moved through a grassy area into a parking lot just north of the campus. He was wearing a black shirt with a United States flag at its center, a dark baseball cap, and large sunglasses. At 11:53 a.m., he stopped at the top of some stairs and "pulled out his phone" before proceeding down into a pedestrian tunnel. Still images released by the FBI show him ascending a stairwell in a parking garage adjacent to the tunnel.
The speaking event began at noon with about 3,000 people in attendance. Authorities said the suspected gunman was seen at 12:02 p.m. walking on the north side of the Losee Center, where they said he would later shoot Kirk from the roof. Kirk appeared at the event at about 12:09 p.m. and started throwing hats into the crowd. Then, at 12:11 pm, he began speaking.
According to an affidavit, the suspect entered the Losee Center from the southeast side and was seen ascending the stairs next to the building 13 minutes later. The stairs connected with a public walkway adjacent to the roof, and surveillance video showed the suspect crossed a railing from the walkway onto the roof at about 12:15 p.m. He disappeared from view for a short time before running across the roof, then crawling into the suspected shooting position. Investigators said that by 12:22 p.m., the suspected shooter was in position on the roof, lying on his stomach, facing the location where Kirk was speaking about 430 feet or 142 yards (130 m) away.
Sitting under a tent displaying the tour title, Kirk engaged in a back-and-forth discussion about mass shootings in the United States with Hunter Kozak, a UVU student and member of the Unfuck America Tour. Kozak asked, "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?", to which Kirk responded, "Too many." Kozak followed up with, "It's five. Now, five is a lot, right? I'm going to give you — I'm going to give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?" Kirk replied, "Counting or not counting gang violence?", and Kozak said, "Great."
Immediately following this exchange, at 12:23:30 p.m., Kirk was shot in the neck with a single bullet, which investigators believed had come from the roof of the Losee Center. Emma Pitts, a Deseret News reporter who witnessed the event, told NPR, "I just saw so much blood come out of the left side of Charlie's neck, and then he went limp." Former US representative Jason Chaffetz, who was in attendance, said, "As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming."
At 12:23:55 p.m., six men carried Kirk to an SUV, which took him to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, where he was later pronounced dead. His death was announced by Donald Trump at 2:40 p.m. on Truth Social.
Video footage also surfaced of the suspected shooter running from the south corner of the Losee Center roof, where he purportedly shot Kirk, to the north corner, where the ground was higher and he could hang from the edge of the roof and drop to the ground, which occurred at about 12:24 p.m. Palm prints were later found at the edge of the roof, as well as smudges from which samples were collected to look for DNA evidence. A footprint was found on the ground, which showed he was wearing Converse sneakers. He then moved into a wooded area north of the campus, where a scoped rifle containing inscribed bullet casings was later found.
According to available audio, regional law enforcement became aware of the shooting no later than 12:26 p.m. At 12:31 p.m., an officer reported "gunshots heard near the library". At 12:35 p.m., the officer added "maybe the CS building", before describing the suspected shooter as "wearing jeans, black shirt, black mask, long rifle". A minute later, the officer elaborated, "on top of the building on the far north side, just east of the library". A UVU police officer was the first to investigate the suspected shooting position on the roof of the Losee Center. At 12:39 p.m. FBI agents and police chiefs arrived at the event location.
At 1:37 p.m., the university closed the campus and urged everyone to leave. At 2:01 p.m., the university instructed those remaining on campus to "secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus". Classes and activities at all campuses, including satellite locations, were suspended until September 15.
Manhunt
The Utah Department of Public Safety was investigating the crime with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Initial arrests
Two people were arrested soon after the shooting, but were later released. One was arrested on campus grounds after claiming to have shot Kirk. He later told police he "was glad he said he shot the individual so the real suspect could get away." He reportedly had a history of mental health issues and was known to Utah authorities for his habit of disrupting public events. He was taken to a hospital, where police discovered over 20 images of child sexual abuse on his phone. After his release on September 14, he was admitted into jail for obstruction of justice and sexual exploitation of minors. On January 29, 2026, the man pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice, and pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of minors. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Hours after the shooting, FBI director Kash Patel announced on social media that "the subject" in Kirk's assassination had been apprehended; Utah governor Spencer Cox said that a "person of interest" had been detained. Within two hours of making his initial announcement, Patel said that the subject had been "released after an interrogation by law enforcement."
Evidence and leads
Law enforcement recovered an older-make Mauser-type bolt-action hunting rifle, which was chambered in .30-06, from a wooded area near the shooting, engraved cartridges, and "a footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis". In a press conference on September 11, officials said that they had "good video footage" and were applying facial recognition technology to it. Later that day, the FBI indicated that facial recognition efforts had been unsuccessful, released photographs of a person of interest, and offered up to $100,000 for information in the case. The FBI also investigated various social media accounts with posts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination.
The investigators reported that cartridges found in the rifle were inscribed with various messages, which were rumored to be slogans relating to anti-fascist and "transgender ideology", but were described as a mix of Internet memes and popular culture after an FBI briefing on September 12 revealed the messages. The spent cartridge case was inscribed with "Notices Buldge OwO what's this?" [sic], a reference to furry online roleplay. Three unfired rounds were engraved with "hey fascist! CATCH! ↑→↓↓↓", referencing the directional button sequence used to call in a 500 kg bomb in the 2024 video game Helldivers 2, "O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!", a reference to the Italian anti-fascist song "Bella ciao" ("Goodbye (ciao) beautiful (bella)"), and "If you read This, you are GAY Lmao". The song "Bella ciao" remains widely known as an anti-fascist anthem; however, it also resurfaced in popular media in the mid-2010s and early 2020s through the television series Money Heist and the video games Hearts of Iron IV and Far Cry 6. During the manhunt, law enforcement agencies received more than 7,000 leads related to the incident and conducted more than 200 interviews.
Congressional hearings
On September 16, 2025, FBI director Kash Patel faced questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee about the investigation and criticism for his social media posts about it. He stated that over 20 users on a Discord discussion group that Robinson was a part of would be investigated. Patel had previously faced criticism for his leadership and handling of the case from federal and local officials, with particular focus on his social media post on the day of the shooting that a suspect was in custody, a statement which he retracted 90 minutes later. The hearing led to bipartisan criticism of Patel, and came after a considerable upheaval at the agency under his leadership that involved widespread reassignments, firings, and loyalty tests.
The next day, on September 17, Patel faced questions from the House Judiciary Committee about the assassination. Patel used his opening statement to take credit for the decisions that he said helped lead to Robinson's arrest. Representative Jasmine Crockett criticized Patel, claiming "if it wasn't for [Robinson's] parents deciding that they were going to turn in their child, it seems like y'all wouldn't've got there."