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Topics: Donald Trump, Gun Crime, News, US News, Utah, Charlie Kirk
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Donald Trump, Gun Crime, News, US News, Utah, Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk has been shot at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Kirk, rightwing activist and executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was about 20 minutes into his presentation when shots were fired.
A Utah Valley University spokesperson told CNBC: "What we know currently is that Charlie Kirk was about 20 minutes into his presentation when we heard shots fired from a nearby building and to the best of our knowledge he was hit and taken with his security team away from the premises, and the courtyard was cleared."
The FBI are said to be monitoring the situation.
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FBI director Kash Patel penned on Twitter: "Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected.
"Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation."
Kirk's condition remains unknown.
Vice President JD Vance has also addressed the situation.
"Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father," Vance said of the 31-year-old political activist.
President Donald Trump has since echoed similar sentiments, writing on Truth Social: "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"
Witnesses have spoken out about seeing the harrowing events unfold.
"We heard a big loud shot, I saw a bunch of blood come out of Charlie, I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground," a witness named Justin Hickens told NBC News.
He continued: "I kind of turned around and all of a sudden I saw officers walking with this very elderly gentleman with white hair. They had him arrested, they had him on his knees and he was screaming about his rights and all that stuff. They cuffed him and put him away."
Hickens went on to reveal how metal detectors were not present at the rally, although security was stationed around Utah Valley University itself.
This disturbing event comes amid a spike in political violence in the US across all parts of the ideological spectrum.
Attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state politician and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor in April.
The highest profile shooting was that of President Trump during a campaign rally last year, which he survived with merely a bloodied ear.