DONALD Trump ally Charlie Kirk’s brazen murder has sparked outrage across America – with Elon Musk leading the fury and many blasting the killing as an “attack on free speech”.
Democrats and Republicans alike paid their respects to the conservative firebrand on social media – before finger-pointing erupted from both sides of the political spectrum.
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday[/caption]
Elon Musk has spearheaded Republican fury[/caption]
Kirk was the founder and President of Turning Point USA and a staunch Trump ally[/caption]
The crowd reacts after Charlie Kirk is shot during the event at Utah Valley University[/caption]
Kirk, 31, was gunned down Wednesday afternoon while hosting a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Elon Musk spearheaded the outcry on social media, blaming Democrats for the brutal assassination.
He said on X: “The Left is the party of murder.”
The Tesla boss added that the far-left were “celebrating cold-blooded murder”.
Furious Republicans joined the uproar, with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene saying: “This is the result of years of leftist indoctrination and hatred.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz also expressed outrage, saying: “The intolerant left has taken their hatred to a violent extreme. We must condemn this act and protect the right to free expression.”
It comes after the US president called the shocking assassination a “dark moment for America” as he vowed a drastic crackdown on political violence.
He slammed the “radical left” for demonising dissenting voices, while honouring Kirk as a “martyr for truth and freedom”.
Meanwhile, Democrat leaders offered their condolences to Kirk’s family, with some calling for immediate gun reform.
Former President Barack Obama said Kirk’s death was “a heartbreaking reminder that we must all work to lower the temperature in our political discourse”.
He also called on America to “reject violence unequivocally”.
Ex-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris also expressed deep concern, saying that political violence had “no place in America”.
She said: “I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the “scourge of gun violence and political violence” to end.
She said: “The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest incident of this chaos and it must stop. We cannot go down this road.”
Joe Biden offered his prayers to Kirk’s family and said: “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence.”
A manhunt is still underway, with footage showing a figure on the roof before and after the shooting[/caption]
Crowds react to the shooting[/caption]
Kirk and his wife Erika with their two children[/caption]
UK politicians also took to social media to pay their respects to the political influencer.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised the importance of taking part in free debate “without fear” following the horrific killing.
He said: “There can be no justification for political violence.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who considered Kirk a close friend, paid tribute to the late Republican.
Farage described him as an “incredible broadcaster” with a remarkable work ethic and a great sense of humour.
He also suggested the shooting may have been politically motivated – and voiced concern about growing political divisions in America.
Issuing a stark warning, Farage highlighted the “voices that wish to shut down free speech”.
Kirk was a staunch supporter of Trump[/caption]
People run after one shot was fired at the event[/caption]
Horrifying footage showed the political influencer being shot[/caption]
Swathes of reactions also came in from other figureheads across the US political spectrum.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called for a rejection of political violence in “EVERY form”.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis strongly condemned the act.
He said: “This is an outrageous attack on free speech and democracy.
“We must ensure that those who commit such heinous acts are held accountable.”
Vice President JD Vance posted a heartbreaking tribute to Kirk on X, saying that he was a “like a little brother to me”.
He said: “This is an unimaginable loss. For me, for his family, for everyone who loved him, and for America.”
Former President Bill Clinton shared his sadness and anger at Kirk’s death, urging for peaceful and passionate debates.
He said: “We must redouble efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox described it as a “political assassination”, adding: “Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and to persuade people.”
Donald Trump called Kirk a ‘martyr for truth’[/caption]
Charlie Kirk and his wife Erika, who was also at the event[/caption]
The reactions come as a massive police manhunt is still underway while Kirk’s killer remains at large.
Graphic video showed a single bullet striking Kirk in the neck, causing him to collapse while hosting an outdoor student debate.
A person of interest was taken into custody but later released, FBI director Kash Patel said.
The shooter is still at large and officials are asking for any information that could lead to their capture.
Heavily armed police are now going from door-to-door as they search for the killer – who is described as wearing a dark clothes and carrying a long gun.
Officials described the shooting as a targeted political assassination and said only one shot was fired.
Kirk, an outspoken commentator who frequently appeared on Fox News, was best known for co-founding Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit organization aimed at organizing students.
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
CONSERVATIVE commentator Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
12 pm MDT– Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.
4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.
4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released
Donald Trump posted a video message on Truth Social, saying he was “filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk”.
Trump earlier announced Kirk’s death in a separate Truth Social post, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and their two young children.
The pro-gun activist was speaking about shootings in the moments before he was murdered at the university with a single gunshot.
Just seconds after he paused during a student Q&A at the school, the shot was heard ringing out in horrifying footage of the shooting.
Blood was seen gushing from Kirk’s neck as he fell off his chair, as bystanders screamed, “Get down! Get down!”
Members of the community gather at the Capitol in Salt Lake City to honor Charlie Kirk after he was shot[/caption]
The scene of the event following the horror shooting[/caption]
