Conservative activist and political influencer Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday at a Utah college event, in what the Utah governor called a political assassination.
Kirk had been hosting a debate at Utah Valley University. The shot was fired around 12:23 p.m., leaving a scattering crowd full of panic and chaos, officials said during a news conference Thursday evening.
According to Utah Department of Public Safety Director Beau Mason, private emergency vehicles transported Kirk to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he died from his injuries shortly after.
The suspect was taken into custody Thursday night and identified Friday morning as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, according to FBI director Kash Patel.
College campus Q&As and debates were events that Kirk hosted frequently through Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization that he co-founded dedicated to empowering students to “advocate for principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government,” according to his website.
Kirk was also a close ally of President Donald Trump, as he was the chairman of Students for Trump, which targets college voters.
Trump confirmed Kirk’s death in a post on Truth Social, extending his condolences to his family and wife.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
At EHS, however, reactions are more complex than love and admiration.
Senior Jayla Gathing said that while she does feel remorse for the violence that was incited, she is concerned that Kirk’s death will overshadow other tragedies.
“I do feel bad for his children, if anything, but I also feel bad for the children that are getting shot and killed in schools across the country,” Gathing said. “And the sudden reaction among my peers as if gun violence is something new is disappointing.”
An Instagram account named “Barstool Edwardsville” made a post Wednesday night telling its followers to wear red to school the following day in honor of Kirk’s passing.
The account is followed by 3,209 people, with a large percentage of EHS students, and provides weekly information regarding sporting events. It is most commonly known among students for its recounts of every school week with photo submissions from the student body captioned “Almost Friday”.
“Even though that account says it has no direct affiliation with EHS, it has so much influence on the school,” Senior Liv Warner said. “Almost everybody that I know on Instagram follows it and talks about it every week.”
Senior Jaylinn Bell said that she thinks it is necessary for the student body to come together after such a violent act happened.
“People should be able to express their opinions. People have freedom of speech,” Bell said. “Political violence is never the answer to these disagreements.”
Warner agreed that political disagreements should never lead to violence.
“I don’t agree with anything that [Kirk] ever said,” Warner said. “But I wouldn’t wish that kind of death upon anyone.”