Ring-winged influencer Charlie Kirk eerily spoke about gun violence seconds before he was shot dead at a Utah Valley University rally.
The conservative activist, 31, was assassinated while taking questions from the crowd at the Orem college on Wednesday afternoon.
A member of the crowd stepped up to the microphone to debate Kirk, who was sitting under a tent, on the matter of mass shootings.
‘Do you know many transgender Americans have been shooters over the last 10 years?’ the challenging audience member asked.
In response, the political influencer asserted, ‘too many,’ as the crowd roared.
The same individual informed Kirk that the number is five and then inquired if Kirk was aware of ‘how many mass shooters have been in America over the past decade.’
‘Counting or not counting gang violence?’ Kirk asked. These would be his last words.
Before he could respond, a gunshot rang out, striking him and causing panic as the crowd watched blood ooze from his neck while he fell backward.
Ring-winged influencer Charlie Kirk (pictured) eerily spoke about gun violence as he was gorily assassinated at a Utah Valley University Rally
Kirk (pictured) was shot in the neck while speaking about mass shootings in America
Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve , with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months (pictured: Kirk and his family)
President Donald Trump announced Kirk had died as few hours later.
‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one connected with or understood the Youth of the United States of America quite like Charlie,’ the president commented on Truth Social.
The FBI has detained the alleged shooter, according to Director Kash Patel.
‘Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with [the FBI],’ he wrote.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has also confirmed that a ‘person of interest’ is in custody and is being questioned by authorities.
George Zinn, aged 71, was apprehended immediately after Kirk was shot, but authorities confirmed he was not the shooter. He was charged with obstruction of justice.
Authorities have deemed the tragic event a ‘political assassination’ and believe the suspect acted alone.
Officials said the fatal shot was fired from the top of the Losee Center, about 200 feet away from where Kirk was speaking.
A member of the crowd (pictured) stepped up to the microphone to debate Kirk, who was sitting under a tent, on the matter of mass shootings .
The horrified crowd (pictured) fled the scene after the political commentator was shot
Kirk, known for his strong pro-Trump views, conservative beliefs, and engaging debates at universities nationwide, was at UVA as part of his American Comeback Tour.
A petition trying to bar Kirk from the school garnered more than 7,000 signatures.
The Turning Point USA founder spoke out against rampant crime and denounced mass shootings while maintaining his pro-Second Amendment stance.
Over the years, he has addressed the controversial topic extensively, exploring how the crisis of mass shootings might be addressed while upholding the right to own firearms.
‘We should have an honest and clear reductionist view of gun violence, but we should not have a utopian one,’ Kirk said at a May 2023 Turning Point USA event.
‘You will never live in a society where you have an armed citizenry and not a single gun death. That is nonsense, it’s drivel.
‘But I think it’s worth it. 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.’
His comments on the matter came about one week after three children and three adults were killed by a shooter at the Christian Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
Known for his fierce pro-Trump stances, traditional values and lively debates at college campuses across the country, Kirk (pictured) was visiting UVA as a part of his American Comeback Tour
After the gun shot rang, panic ensued among the masses, causing them to flee the scene (pictured)
In May 2022, Kirk spoke out against a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two adults dead.
He called the massacre an ‘act of evil’ during and episode of his podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show.
‘There’s moments in time. And there are stories that happen where you just take a pause and the evil that is committed is just so overwhelming,’ he said.
‘It almost like ruins your day and it just impacts everything you do. And it kind of dominates the conversation for the time being between your friends and family members.’
Kirk was known for fostering discussions and debates, especially among America’s youth and young adults.
He was never one to shy away from controversy, with many clips of his fiery run-ins with liberal college students going viral online.
The Trump ally’s death has sent shock waves through the nation, with prominent political figures across party lines speaking highly of the commentator and denouncing acts of politically-driven violence.
‘This is a dark day for our state, it’s a tragic day for our nation,’ Republican Governor Cox said.
President Trump (left) led tributes to Kirk (right) after he was fatally shot in the neck Wednesday
Kirk helped found Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit that has focuses on promoting conservativism on school campuses (pictured: Kirk and his wife Erika Frantzve)
‘I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination.’
One of the first Democrats to speak out against the atrocity was California Governor Gavin Newsom, who once invited Kirk on his show, This is Gavin Newsom Podcast.
‘The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.’
Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve, with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months.
In honor of the passionate podcast host, Trump declared that all American Flags across the nation will be lowered to Half Mast until Sunday evening.
