Charlie Kirk, one of the rising stars in conservative circles who made an appearance just a few months ago at San Francisco State and appeared on Governor Gavin Newsom's podcast, was shot and killed Wednesday while on stage in Utah.

The shooting happened at 12:10 pm local time, during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, and a gunman reportedly took aim from a building about 200 yards away. Kirk, 31, was speaking on stage before an audience of students, who all scattered in fear after Kirk was struck in the neck by a bullet — which was captured on video by witnesses.

One eyewitness, Raydon Dechene, spoke to CBS News and said that when the shot rang out, Kirk had, ironically, been speaking with an audience member about the transgender shooting suspect in the Minneapolis school shooting last month. She said there was a single pop, and Kirk suddenly had blood gushing from his neck — she guessed his carotid artery had been struck.

As the New York Times reports, as of 2 pm Pacific Time, no arrests have been made, and a search is on for the gunman. A gray-haired man who was seen detained by security guards at the scene in early images was later released, but that did not stop many from sharing the image and even attempting to identify him on social media.

Like Kirk did when he made an appearance at SF State in May, he appeared with tents branded with "American Comeback," where he encourages students to debate him and "Prove Me Wrong" on any number of political topics. (At the SF State appearance, a punk band set up across the street and tried to drown Kirk out with their music.)

As the Associated Press reports, Kirk's appearance at Utah Valley University had been opposed by a number of students on campus, with a petition to cancel the event signed by over 1,000 people.

Kirk has been particularly vocal on a number of culture-war touchpoints, as he was on Newsom's podcast in March, where he was the governor's first podcast guest. The two discussed the "unfairness" of trans athletes in school sports, something that Newsom said he agreed with Kirk about.

Immediately after the shooting, Newsom tweeted, "The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form."

President Trump, who has reportedly ordered that flags be lowered to half-mast for Kirk, posted on Truth Social, "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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."

Shortly following news of his death, a quote from Kirk in which he said that gun deaths around the country were "unfortunately" worth it in order to preserve the Second Amendment, has gone viral on Reddit and elsewhere.

Kirk co-fouded Turning Point USA at age 18, in 2012, in Chicago, and made a career of proselytizing for conservative causes on college campuses. During Trump's 2016 campaign, Kirk served as an aide to Donald Trump Jr., and both President Trump and his so have spoken at Turning Point conferences, as the AP reports.

Dechene, the eyewitness who spoke to CBS, said that the mood at the event was positive, and people had been chanting "USA" when Kirk came on stage. She also noted that there did not seem to be any security at all for the event.

Top image: Charlie Kirk debates with students at The Cambridge Union on May 19, 2025 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. (Photo by Nordin Catic/Getty Images for The Cambridge Union)

A Labor Day weekend wedding ceremony between a Silicon Valley bigwig and a former Miss Ireland has residents of a rural Utah town up in arms, after the area was left trashed, and the couple allegedly misrepresented their event when applying for a permit.

The Labor Day weekend wedding of Andreessen Horowitz partner Andrew Chen and one-time Miss Ireland 2010 Emma Waldron seemed a lovely affair at the base of Castleton Tower, a magnificent Utah rock formation. According to a now-deleted tweet published in Ireland’s Sunday World, the happy groom Chen tweeted, “Big news! @EmmaBWaldron and I are married 😍 We did it in Moab UT (next to castleton tower) next to the red rocks and with our immediate family. The ceremony had us giving some longish vows, we had a beautiful dinner (vid below), then some dancing!”

Wait, why is the tweet now deleted? Well, it may have something to do with the Moab Times-Independent’s report a few weeks later that the site was left trashed. The aftermath was observed by Castle Valley town councilor Pamela Gibson, whose post-ceremony photos are seen throughout this post. And the Times-Independent describes the scene left behind as “littered with tables, chairs, catering equipment, trash and food scraps, much of it pushed off the road into vegetation. Glass candles, some of which had shattered, lined the road alongside tire tracks that had veered into delicate cryptobiotic soil. Trash cans lay on their sides.”

SFGate just tracked Gibson down for an interview, and while the event was eventually cleaned up after, she says she’s still finding broken glass from the affair. “It was effectively four days where the public could not enjoy what it should be able to enjoy because of these people that have no qualms about misrepresenting something just so they can have their pretty little wedding.”

And there are allegations the couple misrepresented the scale of the event they’d be having. Per the Times-Independent, their application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that oversees the park area said there would be 12 guests, no amplified sound, no third-party businesses providing services, and the only structure being used would be a “small shade tent.”

Though it sure seems other structures were used. Plus, according to the Times-Independent, the event was professionally catered, used a professional florist, and had a 24-foot cabana plus 150 feet worth of glass candles marking the path to the event.

For their part, the BLM simply said in an email to Gibson that they would be following up with the couple “in partnership with BLM Law Enforcement.”

Related: Sean Parker Faerie Wedding Trashes Big Sur Campground [SFist]

Images via Pamela Gibson

Briefly touched upon last week when the final batch of Prop 8 donor names unfurled, Utah citizens and the LDS Church spent more on getting Prop. 8 passed than previously known. According to the Salt Lake Tribune:

Utahans and the LDS Church spent significantly more than previously reported on last-minute efforts to push passage of California's ban of same-sex marriage, newly filed financial disclosures show.

Donations from as many as 1,025 individual and businesses in Utah to both sides of the Proposition 8 campaign totaled about $3.8 million, according to new filings with California's secretary of state, with more than 70 percent going to groups supporting the successful measure.

This is unnerving. And, most disconcerting, not at all surprising.

The California State Supreme court will begin hearing arguments on Prop 8 starting March 5. Be sure to watch it all go down at 9am on the California Channel. (Also, hey, no way, we have a California Channel! Who knew?)

Check out Stop8.org for comprehensive coverage about civil marriage equality in California.

*MUSIC: Hotel Utah launches a brand spanking new party, YEAR. The night is being labeled as an "innovative branded concept," hosted by KUSF radio personality and creative director for the Mill Valley Film Festival, Dennis "The Menace" Scheyer. Each month at YEAR, one year will be celebrated -- ranging from 1956 to 2006 -- and the playlist for that month's event will be the top hits from that year. Which year will be the focus for tonight? Find out for yourself tonight over in SOMA.

COMEDY: Head over to Cobb's where Last Comic Standing will tape amateur comics performing their "best" material to (hopefully) make your guffaw. It will be a hilarious/painful night of comedy. Not to be missed.

CLUB: Tonight's theme at Charlie Horse, one of the best club nights to catch drag in the entire universe, is "Valley of the Dolls." How fitting. (Get it? Because the trannies are all on drugs over there? Eh.) Anyway, if you can't make it tonight, lucky for you Ana Conda hosts this show every Friday night at the Cinch.

FILM: Check out Noise Pop 2008's documentary film offering, . The "sincere" film about the titular schizophrenic musician screens over at the Roxie.

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

MUSIC: San Francisco's favorite crooner, Utah-born singer/songwriter Spencer Day, performs tonight at the one of the city's newest music venues, the Rrazz Room located at Hotel Nikko.

COMEDY: Let hilarity wash over you with the comedic stylings of Arj Barker, Kristopher Tinkle ("Tinkle" = hee!), and Matt Morales. They hit the mic tonight at Punchline.

*FILM: SF Indiefest is going on, folks. Tonight check out , 7:15 p.m. at Roxie Cinema; Most Likely To, 7:15 p.m. at the Victoria Theater; Liberty Kid, 9:30 p.m. at the Roxie Cinema; Sleepwalking Through the Mekong, 9:30 p.m. at the Victoria Theater; or Never Belongs To Me, 11:45 p.m. the Roxie Cinema. Check out the festival's entire schedule here.

CLUB: Vaudeville and burlesque meet the Reagan-era tonight when the Hubba Hubba Revue goes Totally '80s. Devo tribute band Mongoloid performs, as well as Jerk Headroom, Revolva, Lady Satan, Sparkly Devil, Alotta Boutté, Casey Castille, Twilight Vixen Revue, the Whirling Pervishes, Peekaboo Burlesque, Dottie Lux, Your Little Chernoby, Ariyana Le Fey, and Gorilla X. It all goes down and comes off at DNA Lounge.

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Barton Carroll (seen above) will be headlining, on Tuesday, at Hotel Utah. Carroll's new CD, The Lost One, comes out the same day. His genuine, story-telling folk songs creates the perfect North Carolina backwoods' atmosphere of his childhood home. Wednesday, if you are ready for some true rock n' roll, then head over to The Independent to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Vampire Weekend is back on Thursday. This time, they are taking their over-buzzed, yet still completely lovable, afro-punk music to 330 Ritch Street hosted by the ever-so-hot popscene. Last time, we were at popscene, it was packed. We have a feeling, it will be again. Don't worry if you already bought tickets to The Lovemakers (who we recommended a couple of weeks ago), Vampire Weekend will be back for two nights in March.

For our weekend recommendations and the full weekly listings, take the jump...

Wednesday, there is the sold-out Ingrid Michaelson show that had to be moved from Cafe du Nord to Slim's because apparently everyone is into "librarian chic" right now. Though it's sold-out, you can still find tickets on craigslist; the prices aren't too inflated, yet. We missed the beginning of Michaelson's set at the Fillmore when she opened for Matt Nathanson but we loved what we heard. She's quite endearing, not to mention very talented.

Last week we introduced you to The Lovemakers, from Oakland. They continue their Thursday night residency at Cafe du Nord. The Frail, an indie-electronica duo from San Francisco, are opening this week's set. We are totally, 100% digging their vibe. If you are tired of waiting for The Postal Service to release a new record, then look no further - check out The Frail's EP entitled, "Count on This." They are planning on having another EP out around mid-March. These guys are the shit.

Friday, there is quite a variety of local bands playing ranging from Rykarda Parasol to Sean Hayes. There's even Maldroid playing at Rickshaw Stop; we've definitely recommended them before several times. This weekend's party will be at popscene where Palo Alto natives, The Donnas will be rocking out to their new music from their seventh studio album, "Bitchin'." These girls are definitely bitchin'.

Saturday, you can hang out at Hotel Utah with Newton Faulkner. He was just nominated as "British's Male Solo Artist" for the Brit Awards 2008. Opening for him, is another California native, Jesca Hoop, a very interesting singer/songwriter who just released her debut album, "Kismet."

There is so much to do in this town. We are on overload.

Take the jump for the full listings...

Friday night, there's a tie between three different shows. You can head over to Slim's to see Melee, a strong favorite of our local radio station, Alice 97.3. Don't be late because this show has equally good openers featuring one of our favorite bands, Until June, that we featured on New Tunes Tuesday back in November and Matt White, a New Jersey native. White has been featured on several TV shows with his hit single, "Best Days." Of course, if you are a bit strapped for cash, you can always head over to Hotel Utah and for six bucks you can check out The Papersons, a San Francisco rock band. Another local favorite, Magic Bullets will be at Bottom of the Hill. So many great bands on one night; we recommend them all!

Check out the jump for the full listings and recently announced concerts...

Friday - after the hangover finally lifts and you realize that you already effed up your New Year's resolutions - join us at The Independent where we will be hanging out, bluegrass style, with Dan Tyminski (who usually plays with Alison Krauss) and local talent, Hot Buttered Rum (featured above). We just love us some bluegrass music (occasionally, that is). Hot Buttered Rum is often described as a rock band but with bluegrass instrumentation: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, up-right bass and acoustic guitar. Love it. You've heard Dan Tyminski's voice on the popular movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" He sang the Grammy-winning (and ever so popular) song, "Man of Constant Sorrow" that featured the Soggy Bottom Boys. It will be some good ole' fashion fun.

For complete listings, take the jump...

Ah, today should be a citywide holiday, it really really should.

December 5th marks the 74th anniversary of the end of Prohibition, just a tick of the geological clock since that final state (Utah, who else) grudgingly ratified the 21st Amendment.

You couldn't really blame the Prohibitionists for their distaste for John Barleycorn. A flood of cheap corn whiskey in the early years of the nineteenth century changed the way an already soggy American society imbibed -- for the soggier. The forerunner of today's coffee break emerged as the mid-morning whiskey "elevenses", and by 1820 the average Joe was pouring down half a pint a day -- that's over five gallons a year!

In the middle of the century, hatchet-wielding Carrie Nation began to get the upper hand. Temperance societies appeared and abstinence laws started to pass throughout the "civilized" half of the country, but out West, well ... let's just say that as writer Rudyard Kipling strolled off a clipper ship into 1889 San Francisco, his delicate British sensibilities were shocked, shocked! by the way we got our drink on.

Yesterday we got caught up on the Warriors' offseason moves; today we look at what those moves will mean for the 2007-2008 season and beyond (in 300 words or less).

There is no doubt that coach Don Nelson and his sidekick Chris Mullen have reshaped the Warriors, and the team now has a pretty strong pool of players from which Nellie can choose to implement his failed system of up-tempo small-ball.

Nellie's vision of a perfect rebounding lineup. D'uh-oh. Photo from healingdaily.com.

Ho-ho-hold on a minute SFist, you say. What do you mean failed system? The Warriors surprised everybody last year by making a late season run, making the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, and shocking the presumptive favorite to win it all and number one seed Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. "How the hell is that a failed system," you ask.

All good points SFist readers, but remind us again, who won the NBA Finals? Who played in the NBA Finals? Who played in the Western Conference Finals? Who got waxed by a larger, more fundamentally sound Utah Jazz in the second round (and again last night)? Nellie's run-and-gun Warriors that's who.

“Eulogies are most commonly designated for those who have passed, but really they are just words of praise, and in this case they are for the living,” explains musician Peter Walker. “The name, for me, represents the saying of the unsaid, the voicing of the unexpressed, to someone you care about.”

Though familiar with their latest release, entitled Eulogies, several of their songs they played were still unfamiliar. They were still good, just unfamiliar. The song that blew us away and made everything worth it was, "If I Knew You." Reynolds played a three-note, syncopated bass-line on the drums that created tension with it's repetitive nature. At the same time, Peter Walker carefully questions, "If I knew you, would you do the same to me? Should I say good-bye again? Should I stick around?" Three questions; that's all - yet it remained powerful and the highlight.

You'll have another opportunity to check Eulogies out when they play at Hotel Utah on November 21st with San Francisco native Chris Hanson. Working with only three musicians, Eulogies showed that they were an emotional powerhouse with their creative musical riffs and streamlined vocals. We definitely only have "words of praise" for them - a perfect eulogy - this time for the living.