Utah governor calls Charlie Kirk taking pictures political assassination

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In a solemn and emotional assertion on Wednesday night, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared the deadly taking pictures of Turning Level USA founder and pop of two, Charlie Kirk, to be a "political assassination" that strikes on the very coronary heart of American democracy.

"This can be a darkish day for our state. It is a tragic day for our nation," Cox mentioned, denouncing the act as an affront to the Founders' imaginative and prescient that "all males are endowed... with sure inalienable rights. The primary a kind of is life."

The Republican governor reminded People that Kirk was "firstly a husband and a dad to younger youngsters," and that his dedication to free speech was why he was on campus.

Charlie believed within the energy of free speech and debate to form concepts and to steer folks…

— Utah Gov. Spencer Cox CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SPARKS BIPARTISAN UPROAR OVER POLITICAL VIOLENCE AS UTAH MANHUNT UNDERWAY

Charlie Kirk and his spouse, Erika Lane Frantzve, in an undated photograph posted to social media. (Charlie Kirk by way of Instagram)

Kirk was the founding father of Turning Point USA and a distinguished determine in conservative youth activism.

The occasion at Utah Valley College (UVU) was the inaugural cease on his "American Comeback Tour."

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared the deadly taking pictures of Turning Level USA founder and pop of two, Charlie Kirk, to be a "political assassination." (Fox Information)

Round 12:10 p.m. MDT, a single shot, from roughly 200 yards away, struck Kirk within the neck. Utah Division of Public Security Commissioner Beau Mason mentioned that the shooter fired from a close-by roof. Kirk was rushed to the hospital, the place he was pronounced useless.

A manhunt for the murderer remained ongoing on Wednesday night time.

"The topic in custody has been launched after an interrogation by regulation enforcement. Our investigation continues, and we are going to proceed to launch info in curiosity of transparency," FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in an X publish Wednesday.

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The Republican governor pledged that investigators "will discover you... and maintain you accountable to the furthest extent of the regulation."

"The investigation is ongoing, however I need to make it crystal clear proper now to whoever did this. We are going to discover you. We are going to attempt you and we are going to maintain you accountable to the furthest extent of the regulation," he mentioned.

CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER, DEAD AT 31 AFTER UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING

"And I simply need to remind those who we nonetheless have the loss of life penalty right here within the state of Utah," he mentioned.

TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk seems at a Utah Valley College talking occasion in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune by way of REUTERS)

In a broader reflection on the state of America, Cox lamented a string of latest politically motivated assaults – from shootings in Minnesota to tried assassination plots in opposition to public figures.

"Our nation is damaged. We have had political assassinations not too long ago in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania , and we had an tried assassination on a presidential candidate and former President of the USA and now present President of the USA," he mentioned.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pumps his fist as he's rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service brokers after being grazed by a bullet throughout a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Getty Pictures/Anna Moneymaker)

Nothing I can say can carry again Charlie Kirk… We mourn as a nation.

— Utah Gov. Spencer Cox "Nothing I say can unite us as a rustic. Nothing I can say proper now can repair what's damaged. Nothing I can say can carry again Charlie Kirk," he mentioned. "Our hearts are damaged. We mourn together with his spouse, his youngsters, his household, his associates. We mourn as a nation."

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks throughout a information convention on the state Capitol on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Salt Lake Metropolis. (Rick Bowmer/AP Picture)

Cox, a 50-year-old Utah native, not too long ago secured his second time period as governor. Because the incumbent, he confronted a stiff problem from Rep. Phil Lyman, who appealed to the hard-right flank of the occasion.