Charlie Kirk Shot Dead During TPUSA Tour as Outrage Over Racist Charlotte Remarks Boils Over
Charlie Kirk, the ultra-conservative mouthpiece of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and known MAGA star, was shot dead Wednesday afternoon while speaking at Utah Valley University. The fatal shooting happened during a “Prove Me Wrong” segment of TPUSA’s American Comeback Tour—and came just days after Kirk made inflammatory racist comments about the killing of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Monday night, CNN political analyst Van Jones publicly checked Kirk during a discussion on CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip , after Kirk suggested that 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was murdered solely “because she was White.” Kirk’s comments sparked national backlash, particularly as the accused killer—Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, a Black man—has already been charged in the brutal and unprovoked stabbing aboard Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line commuter train.
CNNs reaction segment tonight about the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska tonight was to express sympathy for the suspect and harshly criticized social media pundits.
Van Jones decided to weigh in, criticizing @charliekirk11 due to alleged racial hate mongering.
He claimed that… pic.twitter.com/6i2LPK6sTF
— Media Lies (@MediasLies) September 9, 2025
Kirk’s remarks lit up X (formerly Twitter), with many accusing him of race-baiting and dog-whistle politics in an already tense national climate.
SNIPED FROM A ROOFTOP – SHOOTER STILL ON THE RUN
According to reports, Kirk was struck in the neck by a single bullet fired from a rooftop approximately 200 yards away. The shooting occurred in broad daylight as dozens watched in horror.
A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been arrested in the case.
While many on the far right are mourning Kirk as a “patriot,” critics say his death was a consequence of his own escalating rhetoric. Activists and analysts alike have warned for years that figures like Kirk stoke racial tensions and misinformation in ways that can have real-world consequences—including violence.
It is yet unknown what motivated this shooting.
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