Donald Trump has spoken out after right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot at an event at Utah university.
Shots were fired at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem where Kirk was speaking.
At 12:25 local time, a “single shot rang out in the quad near the food court on the Utah Valley University Orem Campus as Mr. Charlie Kirk began speaking at his planned rally,” Scott Trotter, senior director of Public Relations at Utah Valley University in Orem, told the BBC.
A representative for Turning Point USA – the conservative nonprofit set up by Kirk – confirmed to CBS News that he had been shot in the neck.
Chief marketing officer Marina Minas told the broadcaster: “He was shot in the neck. He’s at the hospital. It doesn’t look good.”
Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said in a post on X that she is “hearing he is in a critical condition but still with us.”
President Trump himself has also spoken out following the incident. In a post on Truth Social he wrote: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
Video footage circulating online shows the moment of the shooting. Kirk can be seen under a white ten emblazoned with the words “THE AMERICAN COMEBACK” and “PROVE ME WRONG”, surrounded by students.
Kirk is a fervent Trump supporter and is best known for founding Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that seeks to spread conservative ideas to students on US campuses. With millions of followers, he is one of the biggest conservative influencers in the US.
A journalist at the BBC reported that the White House was in shock upon finding out about the news.
Bernd Debusmann Jr wrote: “I first learned that the shooting had taken place when a young female staffer gasped and exclaimed “oh my god, Charlie Kirk has been shot!” as I stood outside the office of a senior White House official. It elicited more gasps from other nearby White House staff.”
It was initially believed that a suspect had been taken into custody, but a recent university statement says no one has been apprehended yet.
They wrote: “Today at about 12:10 a shot was fired at the visiting speaker, Charlie Kirk. He was hit and taken from the location by his security. Campus police is investigating, a suspect is in custody.”