Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and close ally of US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot at a university event in Utah in what authorities suspect to be a targeted assassination. 

Trump confirmed the tragic death of the 31-year-old cofounder of Turning Point USA via a social media post on Wednesday. "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. He praised Kirk’s unparalleled connection with the youth and expressed personal sorrow over his passing.

In Kirk's memory, Trump ordered that flags across the United States be flown at half-mast until Sunday. During a video address from the White House, Trump attributed Kirk's murder to harmful rhetoric propagated by the "radical left," urging Americans and the media to confront the violence stemming from ideological demonization.

Utah authorities reported that Kirk was killed with a single shot, confirming their belief that the attack was deliberate.