Tributes have been pouring in from various corners of the political sphere after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was tragically shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Charlie Kirk was widely recognized for his discussions with students at gatherings like the one at UVU, where he engaged in dialogue with young liberals on contentious topics such as abortion and gun rights.

He held the events through his organization Turning Point USA, which Kirk co-founded with his mentor Bill Montgomery. 

Montgomery died in July 2020 aged 80 due to complications from Covid-19, eight years after starting the conservative action group with Kirk. 

He first met Kirk when the spirited debater was only 18, after listening to Kirk speak at a college occasion. Often hailed as Kirk’s mentor, he played a pivotal role in steering him towards a political career.

Montgomery financed Turning Point USA’s initial endeavors and reportedly suggested that Kirk forgo college to fully commit to establishing the organization as one of the country’s most influential entities.

Before achieving fame as a prominent conservative figure and becoming a significant supporter of Donald Trump, Kirk’s family held an unexpected link to the former president.

Kirk’s father, Robert Kirk, was involved in the construction industry, running his own architecture firm. His distinguished career included serving as a project architect manager for Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to PrimeTimer.

Kirk’s father was not an outspoken public figure like his son would become, but he rose to prominence in the construction world through an array of high-profile building projects. 

As well as working on Trump Tower, his other properties included the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. 

It is not known if the elder Kirk ever personally met with Trump during the president’s real estate days, which would have been decades before Charlie became one of his closest allies. 

Charlie Kirk lived in Arizona with his wife Erika and two children, with public records showing they lived in a $5.2 million mansion in Arizona. 

Little is known about much of Kirk’s family and they keep a low public profile, including Kirk’s mother Kimberly Ann, who was reportedly a mental health counselor. 

Kirk has never shared images of his parents, but has shared pictures of his grandmother celebrating Cubs baseball matches in 2015. 

The influencer has also shared an image in 2014 celebrating his sister Mary’s high school graduation, before she went on to become an art curator in Illinois.

In a profile about Kirk in the Chicago Tribune in 2018, it was said that Kirk had once described his parents as Republicans, ‘but not particularly ardent ones.’ 

Kirk said that his political awakening was not fueled by his parents, but instead came during his high school days after he got into an argument with a teacher about George W. Bush. 

‘I remember a class … and (the teacher) was such a militant leftist and socialist, he would put me so on the spot for being a conservative, for being a Republican,’ Kirk recalled. 

‘He would say, ‘Socialism is great. We need free health care, free housing.’ He was so aggressive about it.’ 

His mentor Montgomery said he met Kirk soon after the teenager began his political efforts in April 2012, when Kirk set up a group called SOS Liberty and made YouTube videos espousing conservative values. 

Following Kirk’s shooting on Wednesday, it was Trump who delivered the news that the 31-year-old activist was dead. 

‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,’ Trump posted at 4:40 p.m, around three hours after the shooting. 

‘No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.’  

‘Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’ the president said.

Trump then ordered the flags lowered – with all three American flags at the White House dropped to half-staff.

The president had urged the country to pray for Kirk shortly after the Turning Point USA leader was shot in the neck by an unknown gunman while he was engaging in Q&A with students at the Turning Point USA event.

‘We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!’ Trump said on Truth Social.