Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has died after he was shot Wednesday at a Utah university, about a month after the ally of President Donald Trump was in Maine for an event with his Turning Point USA organization.
Kirk, 31, died after he was shot while speaking outside on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was sitting under a tent and taking audience questions during a debate hosted by the Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization he co-founded and led as CEO, when a single shot reportedly hit him.
Orem Mayor David Young said the suspect in the shooting remains at large.
Last month, Kirk appeared at Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach for an “inaugural event” with Turning Point USA put on by Maine Civic Action, according to an advertisement for the Aug. 2 event.
The event at Utah Valley University had been met with divided opinions on campus ahead of Wednesday. Immediately before Wednesday’s shooting, Kirk was reportedly taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the audience member asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”
The questioner followed up, “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked before a single shot rang out. Security personnel then reportedly grabbed Kirk and took him away in an SUV.
Maine Civic Action, the advocacy group that hosted Kirk last month and has ties to the conservative Maine Policy Institute, said in a statement it “condemns political violence in any form.”
“We send our condolences and prayers to Charlie’s wife and family during this difficult time,” the group said.
Maine’s top Republican state lawmakers issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying they are “shocked and heartbroken by the political assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
“Our prayers are with Charlie’s wife and two young children,” the legislative Republicans said. “Charlie was a generational leader in the conservative youth movement whose impact cannot be overstated.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting.