Charlie Kirk was shot Wednesday during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Video from the campus courtyard shows Kirk clutching his neck as the crowd scatters; he was rushed from the scene by security. A source in contact with Kirk’s colleagues told the Daily Caller he is still alive in the hospital, though he lost a significant amount of blood. Another Turning Point USA official confirmed he is alive to CBS News, but said “it doesn’t look good.” Kirk is in critical condition, according to the Associated Press. (RELATED: Trump Reacts To Charlie Kirk Shot At University Event)
“This is an ongoing situation,” Turning Point USA wrote in a statement to the Daily Caller. “We are in the process of confirming reports that Charlie Kirk was shot. He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time.”
Police later clarified that the individual initially detained was no the shooter, UVU spokesman Scott Trotter told The New York Times, after earlier reports and videos showed an older man being taken into custody.
The Caller also obtained an eyewitness account from a local college student who was near the back of the crowd: as Kirk discussed the Latter-day Saints faith and moved closer to attendees, “all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there was this loud bang, just one shot, bang. And I saw him hit in the neck, and I saw red gushing blood out of it.”
Former Republican Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who was at the event, said he watched Kirk fall backward after being struck.
“Somehow, some way he survived,” Chaffetz said, according to Fox News analyst Brit Hume.
Former Utah GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who was at the event and watched as Charlie Kirk fell backward after the shot was fired says he hopes that “somehow, some way he survived.”
— Brit Hume (@brithume) September 10, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is “closely monitoring” the shooting and that agents would be on the scene quickly. Attorney General Pam Bondi also said on X that FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents are on the scene.
FBI and ATF agents are on the scene. PRAY FOR CHARLIE. https://t.co/2Rkt0kTLV2
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) September 10, 2025
Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee said he is “tracking the situation” and asked people to pray for Kirk and students on campus, while Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who previously hosted Kirk on his podcast, called the attack “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”
The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 10, 2025
“This is the situation to the best of our knowledge Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group turning point USA was speaking on campus today beginning at noon at about 120 a shot was fired from a building about 200 yards away,” Ellen Treanor, a spokesperson for Utah Valley University, told the Caller. “We believe that the individual Charlie Kirk was shot and we have a suspect in custody campus is closed for the rest of the day.”
Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated accordingly.