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)