Charlie Kirk was talking about shootings in the US just before the fatal shot

Charlie Kirk, influential right-wing media personality and founder of Turning Point USA, was answering a question about shootings in the U.S., particularly transgender shooters, just before he was shot, according to multiple sources.

Witnesses to the killing of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist and a close ally of President Trump, described hearing a single gunshot as he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University, and seeing a stampede as the audience ran. Follow the latest updates: nyti.ms/48cWLPr

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-09-11T16:41:36.997841Z

“Prove Me Wrong”

He was participating in a “Prove Me Wrong” table, in what was the very first event of his American Comeback Tour, held outdoors on the campus of Utah Valley University.

According to several media outlets, including CNN and the New York Times, Charlie Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings involving transgender people in the minutes before he was murdered.

Mass shootings

According to CNN, a member of the audience asked him:

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters in the last 10 years?”

To which Kirk reportedly replied:

“Too many.”

The person then allegedly asked him if he knew the total number of mass shootings counted in the U.S. over the past ten years.

As Kirk asked if criminal gang violence should be included in the calculation, he was shot seconds later, according to several witnesses and videos of the scene posted online.

The question echoed Kirk’s recent controversial remarks after a shooting by a transgender woman at Annunciation Catholic Church, which killed 2 children and injured 21.

“Violent terrorists”

Kirk said at the time, “The trans movement is radicalizing the mentally ill into becoming violent terrorists who target children for murder.”

The FBI has released photos of a “person of interest” in connection with the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s shooter.

— The Wall Street Journal (@wsj.com) 2025-09-11T16:18:03.268950Z

The manhunt for the shooter is still underway, as new details emerge about the circumstances and identity of the alleged perpetrator of Charlie Kirk’s murder.

In particular, the FBI has released a photo of a person of interest.

Various sources, including the Wall Street Journal, also report that the weapon used was allegedly found in a wooded area near the university campus, and that ammunition engraved with words related to the transgender community and anti-fascist ideology may have been discovered at the crime scene.