Charlie Kirk's Assassination

Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10, during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. 

Kirk, who was hosting a “Prove Me Wrong” debate table as part of Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback Tour,” was shot in the neck by a sniper’s bullet. He was immediately hospitalized, but later pronounced dead. Authorities confirmed that only one shot was fired and that Kirk was the sole victim.

Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man from Utah, was taken into custody on September 12th after being deemed the alleged shooter. Robinson was charged with aggravated murder. He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and several other counts.

Utah county attorney Jeff Gray said that he will seek the death penalty in the case.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) described the attack as a political assassination and pledged that the perpetrator will be brought to justice. 

"He has not confessed to authorities. He is not cooperating, but all the people around him are cooperating. And I think that's very important," Cox said.

NHS Social Studies teacher Larry Saladin expressed his perspective on the use of violence in the political landscape.

“This is an unspeakable tragedy. Unfortunately, this violence is happening on both sides. This event reminds me of the two Minnesota politicians who were gunned down a few months ago. Charlie Kirk did his job effectively. He went onto hundreds of college campuses across the country and engaged in debate about the key issues that we as Americans are concerned about.  Death threats and other threats of violence were commonplace for him. I disagree with much of what he says but I appreciate the courage that it takes to defend his positions in unfriendly environments -  trying to challenge people to see the world differently. The media does a great job of firing people up and dehumanizing the other side and this leads to more violence. I wish people would remember that whatever side you are on, there is more that connects us than divides us. There is no excuse to use violence to silence dissent,” Saladin said.

President Donald Trump called for prayers for Kirk and blamed “radical left political violence,” saying such rhetoric contributes to attacks on conservatives. Trump also ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff until September 14 in Kirk’s honor. 

“Regardless of who or what he supports, it's sort of a dark day in America when you get assassinated just because you're a political pundit. I think it's really bad that we've sort of come to this, where speaking of political opinion is going to put you in the firing line. I think we can't let stuff like this happen,” NHS Social Studies teacher David Foss said.

Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, an organization aimed at promoting conservative principles among students. He also chaired Students for Trump in 2020 and had a large social media following.

Utah Valley University closed campus and canceled classes in the immediate aftermath.. Authorities are continuing their investigation, reviewing security footage, and searching for the suspect, who is believed to have fired from a campus building.

This event caused NHS administrators to publicly react, making an announcement the next day to remind students and staff to be conscious of what they say.

“I try my absolute best to remain neutral. No matter what I think about it, I have to think about how everybody else feels in the building. The message is always to try to make everybody as comfortable as possible, whether that's encouraging teachers to be mindful of their conversations and listen a little more carefully to what's going on in their classroom, or putting out something reminding everybody that people have differences of opinions. That's how the world works, we have to work through our differences. So my lens always comes from how we can make Newtown High School a safe learning space for everybody, regardless of the awful situation that happened,” NHS Principal Dr. Kimberly Longobucco said.

This story is ongoing and includes information up to September 17.