Mr. Kirk, a close ally of President Trump, was speaking in front of a large crowd when a shot rang out, according to video from the scene.
Here’s what to know
Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point USA, the nation’s pre-eminent right-wing youth activist organization, was shot in the neck on Wednesday while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University.
Cellphone videos posted online showed people running from the event after a gunshot rang out. One video appeared to show Mr. Kirk’s head jerking back as blood poured from his neck. He had been delivering remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
A university spokeswoman, Ellen Treanor, said that Mr. Kirk was struck about 20 minutes after he began speaking on campus. She said a suspect had fired at Mr. Kirk from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, and been taken into custody.
The suspect was not a student, she said.
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Condition unknown: Ms. Treanor said Mr. Kirk’s security had taken him away after the shooting, and she did not have any information on his condition. Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, confirmed that Mr. Kirk had been shot in the neck.
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Trump comments: President Trump posted on social media in support of Mr. Kirk. “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” he wrote on Truth Social. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
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Close ally: Mr. Kirk, 31, has emerged in recent years one of the most influential young right-wing figures in the country, and established himself as a close ally of the president. Mr. Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and has since become a fixture on college campuses, where he hosts rallies like the one in Utah, that often draw large crowds.
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White House influence: Even though he is not part of the administration, Mr. Kirk’s influence in the White House is significant. Since the November election, he has helped vet prospective appointees, testing their loyalty to Mr. Trump.
EDIT:
The police have determined that a person who was taken into custody after the shooting was not actually the shooter, according to Scott Trotter, a university spokesman. The university had earlier said a suspect was in custody, and videos online showed an older man being detained by police officers.
EDIT 2:
Andrew Kolvet, Kirk’s spokesman, says Kirk is dead.
FYI - links to the gore video will be removed if it is not properly marked as NSFW/NSFL.
Yes, it’s bad. This is not like the Trump “maybe it was faked with razor blades” kind of thing.
It’s not bad, it’s fucking hilarious. Real bullets for fake Christians
Good call. Definitely not for the squeamish. As a friend informed me: “It’s the most anime level of blood loss I’ve ever seen.” And in a literal split second.
Apt description
I’m happy it happened but I definitely don’t need to watch it
As a mod, I felt obligated because I’m not going to remove something I haven’t watched or read, but… yeah. It’s a LOT. If that makes you squeamish, do not watch it.
Thanks for your service o7
ok sorry but thats kind of funny when you removed this comment https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/comment/15767109 and permabanned me because of the youtube channels name, and not because of anything in the video. I still maintain all the facts presented there can be independenty verified and that it is a balanced view critical of both Russias handling of protests but also of Ukraine.
Like “Videos from mariupol”,
nope gotta go can’t be good not even gonna watch it.
“Live footage of a nazi going from fountain of hate to fountain of blood”lets investigate…
My brother in Christ, you were knowingly spreading Russian propaganda.
I still don’t think it was russian propaganda.
You specifically linked to the YouTube channel discussed here which is literally Russian propaganda:
Read more:
https://rsf.org/en/russian-tv-series-set-mariupol-kremlin-s-latest-propaganda-special-operation
Jordan’s a somewhat notorious mod 'round these parts.
Yeah that’s a good point and I thank you for the warning as well cos I may have got a little bit curious
Yeah morbid curiosity got the better of me. You are making the smarter choice
What’s weird is he said the line, then bowed his head and shut his eyes, then immediately got shot.
I dunno, that 30 second video was the longest I’ve ever watched him, maybe he normally does that to seem smart to idiots
But fuck man, as crazy as shit is these days, and somehow the shooter not being immediately apprehended…
It almost seemed like he knew it was coming.
I had to go back and watch it again after reading this, I don’t see the head bow, but he says his piece about gangs then drops his hands in his lap like “point made” and BANG.
The strong suspicion is that this is the trigger for Trump to start banning guns so he can send his goons after citizens in their homes.
I would not be surprised one iota if it was deliberate.
Convenient timing with the Epstein book coming out this weekend. Man that thing is creepy.
In all likelihood it’s just the guy who spent a decade going to college campuses and saying I flammatory shit finally got what he’s been begging for.
But watching that video…
He really does bow his head, close his eyes, and clasp his hands together.
Like, it’s the exact same mannerism as every movie/show where someone knows they’re gonna be shot.
Apparently now they’re saying it was 200 yards away with a rifle. So not getting caught would make a little more sense compared to right next to him with a pistol. But still, as recorded campuses are and as much as we’re tracked…
It’s gonna be suspicious if they don’t catch someone. trump will pull out all the stops like they did when the NYC CEO was shot if this wasn’t planned. They may not have legally admissable evidence, but the feds can figure this out.
They’re saying it was probably from the roof of a nearby building (of which there are many), but news copter shots show police tape and three small traffic cones as ad hoc evidence markers behind the tent, behind the building (which is open underneath).
I’m not sure how the shooter could have been behind him, because there was no line of sight from there due to the tent backdrop, and there was a lack of ejecta blown forward so far as I could tell. There was only one shot, why would there be three cones? And I don’t expect a shooter in that location could have escaped so easily. Still, it could have been a crazy lucky shot from there.
I’m very curious to know what that was all about.
I’m you, I’m glad it happened, but I’m not watching it. Fuck em, they wanna spew hate, watch what happens when that hate comes back to them.
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Watched it. Shrug. Thoughts and prayers, sunshine.
I watched it. Oh no! Anyway …
Dude…
Ok boomer
Okay well can someone post the link I wanna see it
It’s posted elsewhere, but in keeping with my own warning:
NSFW/NSFL
Not going to sugar coat this… Nazi gets shot in the fucking neck and dies.
Yes, it shows EVERYTHING.
If that troubles you, do not click it. You cannot un-see it. If my use of the word “fucking” above bothers you, you are not prepared to watch this.
Appreciate the link. Intrigued at the arm tension after the shot. As would happen if the bullet stopped in his spine.
Thank you. It was beautiful.
Let me preface this by saying I’m well aware that we don’t know anything about the shooter or their politics, they could be Republican, they could be Democrat, they could be some flavor of Libertarian, we haven’t seen so much as a photograph, much less even a description.
But I’d like to think this is a sign of resistance and when Kevin Roberts said:
“The second American Revolution will remain bloodless if the left allows it”
He wasn’t thinking of MAGA blood being spilled.
I hope our collective response is “hell no we won’t allow it!”.
The only thing sadder than watching our Nation crumble under fascism is watching it happen unopposed.Isn’t it just strange that a right-wing agitator meets his end… by being shot in a school shooting??
Unrelated quote:
I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.
—Clarence Darrow, civil rights lawyer
That’s a great line, and captures a lot of the complex feelings I have around this
Yeah will be nice reading tomorrow morning with coffee
Heck I haven’t had this good a time on the internet in a while!
You guys, we should really do this more often
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If this was a just world, Charlie Kirk would be alive and very well.
Serving a sentence for treason for his role in the January 6 coup attempt.
Are things bad enough yet that we don’t have to pretend this is horrifying and we can just chalk it up as a point for the good guys?
What’s horrifying was the size of that crowd.
Be the change you want to see.
Worst case scenario you get banned from a message board that is overly focused on “decorum” and making sure “both sides” feel safe.
To elaborate. Don’t advocate for further shootings. That is what leads to TLAs sending letters. And even if you are outside of the country of interest, that is ALSO the kind of thing where local authorities are glad to cooperate because The Machine likes to protect its own.
But don’t let “Jesus wouldn’t like you laughing at this” stop you from laughing your ass off and celebrating the death of some real evil mother fuckers.
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Was. He is now a good fascist.
I mean, yeah. Nooone I’ve talked to about it has had any reaction other than a positive one. Some people are just too evil to feel bad for. Especially when they advocate for this exact treatment to happen to others.
If only it was a simple numbers game. There’s definitely gonna be blowback.
There’s an awful lot of puffy chests over on r/trump right now. Take care, everyone.
My non-mod opinion on this:
Trump is posting Kirk is dead.
Not going to celebrate, just noting:
“I can’t stand the word ‘empathy’, I think it’s a made up New Age term.” - Charlie Kirk
ill celebrate for both us, no problem
There’s a moral distinction between celebrating the fact that an awful person is dead and celebrating violence against horrible people.
If he choked on a Goya bean and died, you’d still be morally justified in being happy about it.
Fuck you I’ll do both! Im bloodthirsty and stupid enough to think this is a good thing.
user name checks out 👍
I’ve got the OG bloody mess trait.
Finally, “good guy with a gun” makes an appearance. Would’ve appreciated you at some of those school shootings, but appreciate it nonetheless
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/shooting-evergreen-high-school-denver-metro-area/
here’s some irony. note the timing.
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Yep, mods are pussy fascist apologists.
IT’S FANTASTIC THAT HE’S DEAD. Keep deleting my comments you fucking losers.
So, there’s a close up video posted by Christian Prayer Warrior and chronic Kirk gadfly Nick Fuentes and…
Ooowie! That’s a lot of blood. All I’m saying is that if he’s not dead, he’s having a very, very bad day.
That said, in the spirit of rigorous serious free speech debate, I would like to take a moment and remind everyone that Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’, but Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment
This has been an interesting rebuttal.
I saw the close up video. Bullet straight to the choroid artery. We only saw the blood coming out the entry wound… not the exit wound. He was “spurting” that dark shit that means your remaining lifespan is now measured in seconds and at best minutes.
Brachial artery is in the arm, not the neck. The main artery in the neck would be the carotid. If it’s lower, closer to the chest, it would be the IMA, or internal mammary artery. The brachial artery supplies the bicep and the elbow.
Ah I was confusing brachial plexus with brachial artery.
Probably a slim chance it wasn’t a precise aim, right? That guy knew what they were doing.
Actually, you saw blood squirting out the exit wound. I couldn’t tell where the entry wound is, but news says the building the shooter was at was over to the shooters right.
Thoughts and prayers.
I mean, I won’t celebrate it. But I’m not very broken up about it.
It’s sad, like putting down a dog because their quality of life just isn’t there. It doesn’t feel good, but it might just be what’s best for everyone.
This ain’t old yeller bruh.
Dude got shot by and old white man literally moments after repeating the lie that trans people commit more mass shootings than white males.
The only reason not to celebrate is because Charlie deserved worse. Hope he survives and spends the rest of his life in a fucking coma.
I don’t want him to hurt or suffer. I just want him gone so the world can be better. He’s still a human capable of pain, even if he spent his life dehumanizing others.
I hope there’s a hell for him to roast in
The irony is, he’s either right, and he’s currently being acquainted with a pineapple, or he was wrong, and now it’s no one’s problem.
currently being acquainted with a pineapple,
Heaven? Not what I would have guessed but maybe?
Yeah… not to mention the reaction to this is going to be scary.
Oh shit. Are they going to use the military to invade a city? Abduct people to black sites? Call for the lynching of government officials?!?!
Oh shit! Everything is gonna kick off! Wait… it already has.
There is a lot of room to escalate from where we are now, bad as things might seem.
And hemming and hawing that things might get worse if there is any pushback is just inanity.
Shit is already bad. It is getting worse on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis.
MAGA is already using violence as a political tool. This changes nothing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Paul_Pelosi
https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/115286/documents/HHRG-118-GO00-20230208-SD008.pdf
edit: Charlie Kirk’s death shows political violence is now a feature of US life
We’ll see. There can always be more violence.
Buddy there will 100% be more violence. America is a fascist country now.
It’s already scary. They’re already emboldened and empowered because everyone is scared. It’s about time they realize that people are going to fight back.
Poke fun at me all you want, but I want the world to be better, not just different. He’s a piece of shit and I’m glad he’s gone, but I’m not going to sit here and verbally masturbate over the thought of him suffering. I don’t celebrate when the garbage truck pulls up and drags away my trash. I just go about my day.
I want the world to be better too. At some point there’s a line where you have to be willing to kill (or die) for that though. If not, you can never have a better world because someone willing to use violence will roll over you. As much as I hate it, violence is the only thing that will stop people who believe violence is their best weapon. Debating them won’t do it.
And, to be clear, I’m not saying that people shouldn’t ever be killed. I dislike that it has to happen. I dislike that Charlie Kirk being shot in the throat is a net positive for the world, and I feel strongly enough about that that I don’t want to sit here and be excited about it. But it really couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person, and the world is better for it.
If we’re unwilling to fight, these right wing nutjobs will literally sacrifice human life to make line go up until there’s no one left. But I can recognize that it’s a good thing when someone like Charlie Kirk is no longer on the planet, and still feel bad about the fact that we need to take life to protect life.
verbally masturbate
You are literally stroking your ego rn but ok
I’m not sure why you want to make me out to be moral grandstanding right now, but whatever works for you, I guess.
Well, now we owe Lt. Raine ninety-nine nazi scalps.
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A right-wing mouthpiece vs. a soulless billionaire that probably killed thousands in the name of profit. Waluigi at best.
Are you saying Charlie Kirk of all people hasn’t influenced violence?
I hope other propagandists take notice and maybe have some pause about the consequences of their actions from this moment.
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Which is more Guys With Guns to escalate with the wrong crowd (see: The ice dream team that got run off by a neighborhood in Rochester).
And it is important to understand that bodyguarding is actually a very special skillset. Most influencers are fine just getting a big (often African American) guy to look menacing and tell creeps to stop trying to grope the talent. When you are up against people with guns, the requirements change drastically.
And most of the PMCs that specialize in bodyguard/“protection details” just look for anyone who used to be in the military and wants to hold a gun. And the skillset required to plant a gun on a dead brown kid is nowhere near the same as actually preventing someone from getting shot.
So the result of more right wing influencers wanting to hire “real” bodyguards is that there are far fewer competent bodyguards out there and the whackjobs who want to get their Hinckley/Bush on will have a much easier time.
The nice thing we get from this is an illustrative counter-argument to be employed whenever deranged talking points against responsible gun ownership are brought up.
“I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe.”
He had been delivering remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
I mean, sounds like he just got it?
Isn’t that the whole “an armed society is a polite society” thing?
It never meant people became nicer, it meant people that constantly talk shit eventually get got…
