Jason Chaffetz recounts witnessing Charlie Kirk shooting
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz joins ‘America Reports’ to share his firsthand account from the scene where TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and father of two, is dead after being shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University Wednesday.
President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk’s death in a post on Truth Social.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. 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,” Trump wrote. “Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
The FBI said “the subject” of the shooting is in custody.
DEVELOPING STORY: CHARLIE KIRK SHOT AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY EVENT
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Kirk died after he was taken to a hospital in critical condition after being shot Wednesday at a Utah event, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Video posted from the event appeared to show Kirk being shot as he spoke to the crowd from under a white pop-up tent. After the shot, the crowd dispersed, with onlookers shouting, “Run, run, run!”
Treanor said the shooting happened at about 12:20 p.m.
WATCH – EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
In one video, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, captured Kirk moments before the assassination. The video shows students crowded around a white tent emblazoned with the words, “THE AMERICAN COMEBACK” and “PROVE ME WRONG.”
Manhunt
The manhunt remained ongoing on Wednesday night for the assanation suspect. The FBI previous said that they had a “subject” in custody, but announced their release.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
Emergency responders walk towards Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado after a shooting on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Campus police on Wednesday afternoon asked students to call a hotline and be escorted off in public transportation. UVU boasts of being the state’s largest public university with 44,000 students.
“Police will come and escort you out of the building,” the university wrote in an X statement. “Public transportation is available at Orem Station by pedestrian bridge.”
In a statement, UVU said that police are escorting students off campus: “UVU campus is closed. Classes were cancelled. Those on campus, secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus. Police are currently going building to building escorting people off campus. Roads to campus are currently closed.”
UVU announced Wendesday night that campuses would be closed from Sept. 11-14.
“All classes (in-person or virtual), campus events, and administrative operations will be suspended during this time. Please plan accordingly and make any necessary adjustments to your schedules,” UVU said.
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“We had a speaker, Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group, Turning Point USA, who was speaking on campus today at noon,” the statement said.
“At about 12:20 shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel,” Treanor said previously. Treanor said the campus is closed for the day.
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In a campus-wide alert, Utah Valley University said that: “A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker. Police are investigating now.”
Charlie Kirk listens onstage during Politicon 2018 on October 20, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/Politicon)
Utah Valley University noted that the campus is “closed until further notice.”
“Ongoing police investigation. If you are still on campus, follow police directions.”
Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, US, on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kirk had been scheduled to appear at Utah Valley University on Wednesday as part of his American Comeback Tour, with another stop at Utah State University later this month. His appearances have drawn protests and petitions from student groups critical of his views.
In a since-deleted post on Kirk’s social media just hours before the attack, the conservative firebrand wrote: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”
The fall 2025 leg of the tour began at the Orem, Utah university and is “a nationwide campus tour aimed at equipping students with the tools to push back against leftwing indoctrination in academia and reclaim their right to free speech.”
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk speaks during the Turning Point Action’s The Believers Summit 2024 ahead of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s presentation, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., July 26, 2024. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)
President Trump on Charlie Kirk assassination:
Nation’s past presidents mourn Charlie Kirk’s assassination
Every living former U.S. President has publicly responded to the fatal shooting of Kirk.
Former President Joe Biden condemned the act, offering his prayers to Kirk’s family and denouncing the violence as intolerable in America.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” he wrote.
Former President Barack Obama expressed shock and sorrow, urging Americans to reject political violence and emphasizing national unity.
“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” he wrote. “Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Former President George W. Bush also weighed in, saying: “Today, a young man was murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. May God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility.”
Former President Bill Clinton said he was “saddened and angered by Charlie Kirk’s murder,” adding: “I hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully. Hillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers.”
FILE – Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk stands in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump wrote on social media: “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”
In a statement on X, Vice President J.D. Vance wrote: “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
Utah Senator Mike Lee posted to X shortly after news of the shooting broke, writing, “I am tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there.”
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote: “Prayers for Charlie Kirk. An incredible Christian, American, and human being. May the healing hand of Jesus Christ be upon him.”
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, throws hats to the public on May 1, 2025, at UC San Diego’s Town Square. (Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket )
In a statement, the U.S. Secret Service expressed their “deepest sympathies” to the Kirk family.
“The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority. President Trump receives the highest levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and the agency adjusts our protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats,” they said. “Out of concern for operational security, we cannot discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a forum dubbed the Generation Next Summit at the White House on March 22, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Kirk married former Miss Arizona USA Erika Frantzve in May 2021. They have two children, a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
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Charile Kirk and his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve and their two children at Christmas 2024. (Charlie Kirk via Facebook)
He is the author of four books including, most recently, “The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas that Will Win the Future.” Kirk is the host of The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, which was downloaded over 120 million times in the last 12 months and regularly ranks among the top 10 shows on Apple Podcasts charts.
