Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot Wednesday at an event at Utah Valley University, Turning Point said.
“We are confirming that he was shot and we are praying for Charlie,” said Aubrey Laitsch, public relations manager for Turning Point USA.
The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum.
Here’s what we know so far:
- The victim: Kirk is being treated and is in critical condition, a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting told The Associated Press. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, and soon became a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on then-President Trump.
- The shooter: A suspect is in custody, the college said. No information on the shooter’s identity has been released.
- The location: Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by TPUSA. The event at UVU had been met with divided opinions on campus. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
Updates take time: Compiling accurate and thorough information on an active shooting takes time. Reporters are working to piece together the details from eyewitness accounts, authorities and other sources.
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