Charlie Kirk, political activist and co-founder of the organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon in Utah at the age of 31. Kirk, visiting Utah Valley University as part of “The American Comeback Tour,” was speaking to a gathering of students and supporters. At 12:23 p.m., a single shot was fired from 200 yards away, on the roof of the Losee Center, hitting Kirk in the neck.
Immediately following the shooting, Kirk was transported to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Kirk was known for being an avid supporter of President Donald Trump and for hosting daily radio talk shows and podcasts, which reached many young Americans online and through social media.
On Friday afternoon in an email to students, University President Fr. Robert Dowd denounced Kirk’s killing and urged the Notre Dame community to “recommit to listening to those with different viewpoints and to engaging in respectful dialogue.” Dowd echoed similar themes in an opening prayer at an event hosting Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Friday afternoon.
Following Kirk’s death, classes at Notre Dame discussed the shooting, and students visited the Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes to pay their respects.
Freshman Caden Chuang said that “Even in hatred and deep disagreement, we must never let conflict descend into violence.”
Tyler Robinson was arrested as a suspect in the political assassination. Aged 22, he is a Utah native and attended Utah State University for one semester before going into an apprenticeship at Dixie Technical College. He was described as a respectful, kind and quiet child by those who know him.
Governor Spencer Cox of Utah suggested in a press conference that the death penalty would be pursued. Charges have yet to be announced.
In a statement, Notre Dame College Republicans wrote, “A leftist assassin killed Charlie Kirk in cold-blood … standing up for his convictions, engaging in debate with those who disagreed, and inviting all to participate in the political process through civil discourse.”
“Facilitated by Democrats and perpetrated by their radical left, this terrorism is deliberately aimed against white people, Christians, and conservatives,” the statement continued. According to reports, Robinson was not registered with a political party.
Notre Dame College Democrats similarly decried the violence, with senior co-president Alex Young pulling from personal experience working for Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg when he was the target of an assassination attempt in 2022.
“I hope everyone's opinion is that it was a horrific act of political violence and assassination has no place in our country or anywhere, and my hope would be that we come together to find ways to have civil dialogue,” Young said.
The official statement of the College Democrats read, “We are numbed by the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Political violence is never acceptable in the United States of America. Period. Differences must be settled through democratic institutions, elections, and civil dialogue — never violence.”
Professor Geoffrey Layman, chair of the Notre Dame Department of Political Science, compared the events surrounding Kirk’s death to the assassination of late Minnesota State legislator Melissa Hortman, the fire set to Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s residence, the attempted assassination of Trump, the attempt on the husband of Nancy Pelosi and the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Whatever you think about Charlie Kirk's political opinions, he had, as we all have, a fundamental right to express those opinions in a peaceful way without fear of physical harm,” he stated. “This, unfortunately, is what happens when political disagreement turns into political demonization. When we demonize people who disagree with our political views, turning them into inhuman monsters rather than fellow citizens with a constitutional right to express their opinions, it is inevitable that political violence will occur. Words matter.”
