RCJ report on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Contribute information and corrections.

Background

Charlie Kirk was a right-wing political activist. He set up booths on college campuses and invited students to debate on any topic.

Incident

On September 10, 2025, as the first stop in The American Comeback Tour, Charlie was at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah.

A questioner approached the microphone and raised the topic of transgender mass shooters. They had a short exchange:

Questioner: Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?

Kirk: Too many.

Questioner: Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?

Kirk: Counting or not counting gang violence?

At this point a shot was fired that hit Charlie Kirk in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital. Shortly after 2 PM, he was pronounced dead.

Reaction

Some people celebrated the murder.

Disputes arose over the character and views of Charlie and his wife Erika. Claims about Charlie Kirk include that he was a racist, a white supremacist, a white nationalist, a homophobe, a misogynist, a transphobe, an antisemite, a fascist, a Nazi, a psychopath, and a stochastic terrorist, used an Asian slur, would not trust a black pilot, believed black women lack brain processing power, believed the Civil Rights Act was a mistake, believed in stoning gays to death, called for lynching trans people, worked to remove the rights of minorities, derided empathy as worthless, promoted hate, promoted violence, and that his last words were a racist dogwhistle. Claims about Erika Kirk include that she is a psychopath, an Israeli honey trap for Charlie, was a recruiter for Jeffrey Epstein, started and joined a dating app a week after the assassination, and trafficked Romanian children for organ harvesting.

Investigation

Authorities began an investigation the same day. A rifle was found in a wooded area nearby. Bullet casings found with the rifle were engraved with messages.

After a 33 hour manhunt, Tyler Robinson was arrested and charged with the shooting.

Some online material seemed to indicate foreknowledge of the attack.

Public Response

Some people were fired or experienced other backlash for their response to the event. Several laments and tribute songs were released.