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MSNBC faced backlash for its ‘offensive’ comments during the live coverage of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting at a college event in Utah on Wednesday.
While reporting the incident, host Katy Tur described Kirk as ‘divisive’ and ‘polarizing,’ and political analyst Matthew Dowd speculated the shooter might be a supporter of Kirk’s.
‘[W]e don’t know any of the full details of this yet,’ Dowd said.
‘We don’t know if this is a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or… So we have no idea about this.’
Dowd further emphasized Kirk’s reputation as ‘one of the most divisive, especially among younger figures, often engaging in hate speech aimed at certain groups.’
‘And I always go back to hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.’
Online critics quickly condemned the journalists as footage emerged appearing to show Kirk fatally shot in the neck at Utah Valley University in Orem.
‘That’s disgraceful. Set politics aside and show some humanity. Charlie is a person, a husband, and father,’ one individual commented on X responding to the broadcast.
MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd incited outrage by suggesting on-air that the shooter might have been a fan of Kirk’s ‘celebrating.’ A screenshot from the broadcast is shown.
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday – just minutes before he was shot and killed
‘Man, it’s tragic. It’s crazy how MSNBC will just say “whoopsie” and sweep this under the rug like they always do,’ another added.
‘Shameful. Embarrassing for anybody who’s ever worked in the media,’ a third said.
Even Barstool Sport owner Dave Portnoy waded into the controversial comments.
‘Hey @MSNBC, I’m gonna go ahead and rule out that it was one of Charlie Kirk’s supporters that accidentally shot him with a celebratory gun shot,’ he wrote on X.
Donald Trump, around 5pm on Truth Social, confirmed Kirk was killed. The gunman, as of writing, remains at large.
‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,’ Trump wrote. ‘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!’
Critics were quick to bash him and anchor Katy Tur, who was sure to note that Kirk was ‘polarizing’ and ‘divisive’ as footage online showed him being fatally shot
Kirk, 31, had a security detail with him when he was shot.
He leaves behind a wife and two children.
The Daily Mail has reached out to MSNBC for comment.
Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve, with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months. The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in May.
The president has ordered all American flags to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening at 6pm EST in honor of Kirk.
The MAGA star, wearing a white t-shirt, was sitting inside a tented gazebo when a bullet entered his neck, causing his head to violently collapse backwards.
Screams were heard across the crowd of young people as those closest to Kirk rushed to his aid.
Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve, with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months
The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in May
Horrified witnesses ran for their lives after shots were fired at the event. Kirk, who has built a cult following online, was assassinated during the live event in Utah
UVU officials said the shot was fired from the top of the Losee Center, about 200 feet away from where Kirk was sitting on the college campus.
They initially took an elderly man into custody who turned out not to be the shooter, police said.
Sophie Anderson, 45, who was standing 100 feet from the stage when the shooting happened, told Daily Mail that she almost got trampled as she ran off into the food court, where she hid in a closet.
’The second it happened, I knew it was a gunshot,’ said Anderson, who was joined at the event by her boss Phil Lyman, a former Utah state representative who was handing out hats on stage with Kirk just five minutes earlier.
’He was shot in the neck and just fell over and he was just a fountain of blood,’ she said. ‘They carried him off. All these kids are just falling apart and bawling.’
Utah Valley University evacuated the campus after the shooting and canceled classes until further notice.
The event was the first in Kirk’s ‘Great American Comeback Tour.’
