Press convention we’ll first hear from Utah Division of Public Security Commissioner Be Mason. Then we’ll hear from the FBI particular agent in cost, Robert Bowles. Uh, we’ll then hear from Utah Valley College Vice President Val Peterson, who’s been in contact with President Timenez. After which we’ll hear from Governor Cox, flip the time over to Commissioner Mason. Hi there everybody I am Bo Mason, commissioner for the Utah Division of Public Security. Right now at roughly 12:20 Mountain Normal Time. Political influencer Charlie Kirk was shot in an occasion on the Utah Valley College. He was taken by non-public car to Timpanoga’s Hospital the place he later handed. The Utah Division of Public Security will probably be co-leading this legal investigation to search out this killer together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We’re working in unison with the county sheriff’s workplace, the native police division, and the college police division, all of which have been very cooperative and absolutely engaged on this course of. Shortly after the capturing, we did have *** suspect in custody, George Zinn. However he was launched from custody after we recognized that he didn’t match the capturing suspect, um, and was not an correct particular person of curiosity. Nevertheless, he has been booked into the uh county jail by Utah Valley College Police Division for obstruction of justice. We do nonetheless have an lively investigation for the particular person of curiosity. This incident occurred with *** giant crowd round. There was one shot fired and 11 sufferer. Whereas the suspect is at giant, we consider this was *** focused assault in direction of one particular person. That is *** tragic second in our state and in our nation. As we heal, we encourage everybody who’s scuffling with information of the incident to name 988, our state psychological well being disaster line. Along with that, our companions with the FBI can even be discussing different methods we will talk via the general public for ideas and different info. Thanks. Good afternoon On behalf of the FBI, we prolong our sincerest condolences to the household and buddies of Charlie Kirk. Our ideas are additionally with the individuals who witnessed this traumatic occasion. We all know that you simply, what you skilled was very tough. Our ideas are with you as properly. As quickly as we heard in regards to the capturing, particular brokers and personnel from the Salt Lake Area Workplace. Responded instantly. We have now full sources dedicated to this investigation, together with tactical, operational, investigative, and intelligence. To be clear, the FBI will absolutely help and co-lead this investigation alongside with our companions. We’re engaged on organising *** digital media tip line and as quickly because it’s established, we’ll get that info out to everybody. I do know there’s *** lot of questions. That is very a lot an lively case and this investigation is in its early phases. We’re following all of the leads and all of the proof. If anybody has any info, please report it to the FBI or native legislation enforcement. Thanks. On behalf of President Tenez, who we have been speaking with and she or he’s on her manner again proper now, I, um, say that on behalf of Utah Valley College we’re shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk. We categorical our honest condolences to the Kirk household. We grieve with our college students, college and workers who bore witness to this unspeakable tragedy. He was invited by the scholar group Turning Level USA to talk on our campus. We firmly consider that UVU is *** place to share concepts and to debate brazenly and respectfully. Any try and infringe on these rights has no place right here. We don’t condone any type of violence at UVU and search to make our campus *** secure place for all. Girls and gents, thanks for becoming a member of us on this uh on this darkish and and tragic event. I wanna thank our legislation enforcement officers who’re main this investigation, beginning with Chief Lengthy, uh, and, and his, uh, his response right here with the UVU police division. Um, we’re grateful on your management and, uh, and your group, and once more to the, the audio system that you have simply heard from who’re are co-leading this investigation. I additionally need to uh acknowledge Sheriff Mike Smith who has been a useful companion as uh as this investigation strikes ahead. I have been in contact with uh with with President Trump, with FBI Director Money Patel, um, we’re fully aligned with our state and federal companions as uh as we work via this case now. That is *** darkish day for our state. It is *** tragic day for our nation. I need to be very clear that that is *** political assassination. We’re. Celebrating 250 years of the founding of this nice nation. That founding doc, the Declaration of Independence. That this this nice experiment on which we embarked collectively 250 years in the past that we’re endowed by our Creator with sure unalienable rights. The primary a kind of is life. And at this time, *** life was taken. Charlie Kirk was at first. *** husband and *** dad to 2 younger youngsters. He was additionally Very a lot politically concerned and that is why he was right here on campus. Charlie believed within the energy of free speech and debate. To form concepts. And to influence individuals. Traditionally Our college campuses on this nation and right here within the state of Utah have been the place the place fact and concepts are formulated and debated. And that is what he does. He comes on school campuses and he debates. That’s foundational to the formation of our nation. To our most simple constitutional rights. And when somebody takes the lifetime of *** particular person. Due to their concepts or their beliefs. Then that very constitutional basis is threatened. Now we’ve *** particular person of curiosity in custody. The investigation is ongoing. However I need to make it crystal clear proper now to whoever did this. We’ll discover you. We’ll attempt you And we’ll maintain you accountable to the furthest extent of the legislation. And I simply need to remind people who we nonetheless have the dying penalty right here within the state of Utah. Our nation is damaged. We have had Political assassinations not too long ago in Minnesota. We had an tried assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an tried assassination. On *** presidential candidate and former president of the US and now present president of the US. Nothing I say can unite us as *** nation. Nothing I can say proper now can repair what’s damaged. Nothing I can say can carry again Charlie Kirk. Our hearts are damaged. We mourn. Together with his spouse, his youngsters, his household, his buddies, we mourn as *** nation. If anybody within the sound of my voice. Celebrated even *** little bit on the information of this capturing. I’d beg you To look within the mirror. And to see if yow will discover *** higher angel in there someplace. I do not care what his politics are. I care that he was an American. We desperately want our nation. We desperately want leaders in our nation, however greater than the leaders we simply want each single particular person on this nation. To consider the place we’re and the place we need to be. To ask ourselves, is that this, is that this it? Is that this what 250 years has wrought on us? I pray that that is not the case. I pray that those that hated. What Charlie Prepare dinner stood for. We put down their social media and their pens. And pray for his household. And that every one of us. All of us will attempt to discover *** strategy to cease hating our fellow Individuals. With that we’re completely satisfied to take *** few questions. The FBI director is posting that *** that *** suspect is in custody. I’d identical to clarification. Do you or do you not have *** suspected shooter? We have now *** particular person of curiosity in custody that’s being interviewed proper now. We don’t that isn’t George Zim. That’s appropriate. Are you continue to looking or on the lookout for one other shooter or anyone else associated to this? Sure, we’re actively on the lookout for anybody and everybody who has any any doable info referring to the capturing. Are you able to inform us particulars in regards to the suspect being taken into custody, the place, , how way back. We, we can not at this level, however we’ll get you that info when after we can. Is there believed to be *** second particular person concerned within the capturing? At this level there is no such thing as a info that will lead us to consider that there’s *** second particular person concerned. Are you able to guys discuss. Um, we. Do you need to speak about what we all know there? Yeah. The one info we’ve on on the suspect, uh, the doable shooter is taken from closed circuit TV right here on campus. Um, we do have that we’re, we’re analyzing it, um, however it’s safety digital camera footage so you possibly can, you possibly can, uh, type of guess what the, what the standard of that’s, um, however we do know, uh, wearing, in all, all darkish clothes, uh, however we do not have *** significantly better description apart from that. The shot got here from right here on campus, um, from, uh, *** location, um. And *** Uh, probably from *** roof, sure, and longer distance shot from *** roof. So to make clear with the safety digital camera footage you might have and the non-public curiosity that is in custody, do these, does that match up? That is what we’re attempting to decipher proper now. Did the FBI or DHS have something on the menace for this morning? I am unable to communicate I will simply say that the investigation is ongoing and as quickly as we’ve additional info, we’ll be sure you launch it. Any indications of international intelligence involvement? As of now I am unable to touch upon any of that. Are you able to discuss *** little in regards to the safety of the occasion itself, however who was there safety clever and, and what occurs on these type of occasions. So my title is Jeff Lengthy. I am the police chief right here at UVU, and I will inform you proper now we’re devastated. We’re *** small, uh, small police division. Uh, we’ve *** very giant campus. We have now over 40,000 college students, and we love our college students. Uh, we love our guests and we’re, we’re devastated by what occurred at this time. That is the police chief’s nightmare. Um, I am, I am very saddened for the Kirk household. um, I do know his, uh. His spouse and oldsters, uh, came upon about this, , clearly he is away from house. He is right here in Utah they discover out, uh, by police officer, uh, that that visits their house. That is tragic. No person needs that, however I can inform you about our venue at this time. This was an open venue. That is exterior. Uh, we did have, um, 6 officers working in that occasion. Um, we had, uh, most likely over 3000 people who had been in attendance, um, it sat down in type of *** bowl space right here on the central campus. We have now *** waterfall space. And so he was uh type of in *** *** decrease space, uh, surrounded by uh by buildings, um, , we, we had, um, uh, some plain garments cops that had been within the crowd as properly, , we educated for this stuff and and also you assume you, you, you might have issues coated and um. You realize, this stuff, um, you, , sadly they occur. You attempt to get, you attempt to get your bases coated and sadly at this time we did not and due to that we had this tragic incident, so we did have officers there. We had, uh, Charlie Kirk’s group, um, he has *** safety group that travels with him they usually had been right here with him when, when he, when he was shot. I am sorry, the recovered. Um, I, at this level, I, I, I am unable to disclose that. I used to be shot. There was *** query being requested about mass capturing. Was that particular person apprehended? And are you aware who requested that query? Say the query once more. I do not know if I perceive what you are saying. When Charlie Kirk was shot, he was answering *** query about mass shootings particularly. Was that particular person apprehended and are you aware who requested that query? Uh, I don’t, we wouldn’t have that at this second. women and gents, we’ve time for only one extra query, so thanks. Yeah, um, *** query for the chief as properly, um, was it your group or Kirk’s group or *** mixture of each that type of set the safety protocol for the occasion? So we labored collectively, , he has his group and they usually do that everywhere in the nation everyone knows that this isn’t unusual for them uh they’re very comfy on campuses and I used to be coordinating along with his lead safety man and, um, uh, so yeah, we had been working collectively. Was this *** sharpshooter kind shot? Girls and gents, that is that is, um, these are all of the questions that will probably be answered at this time um once more, thanks for for protecting this. uh, we will probably be, uh, we’ll be updating you as quickly as we’ve extra info via uh via regular channels working with legislation enforcement once more our. Our deepest condolences uh to the uh to the Kirk household and uh and to the scholars who had been who had been there at this time um and uh I’d, I’d simply ask everybody in all places to please pray for his or her household and uh and to wish for our nation and we’d like it now greater than ever thanks.

Who’s Charlie Kirk? The conservative activist shot at Utah Valley College

Up to date: 7:09 PM CDT Sep 10, 2025

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Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Donald Trump ally, was fatally shot at an occasion at Utah Valley College, President Trump confirmed.Video above: Utah officers give first information convention after Charlie Kirk shootingKirk is a well known political activist who helped discovered conservative youth group Turning Level USA. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and is taken into account one of the widespread conservative media personalities. A backer of Trump through the president’s preliminary 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Level from certainly one of a constellation of well-funded conservative teams to the middle of the right-of-center universe.Turning Level’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, attempting to energise disaffected conservatives who hardly ever vote. Trump gained Arizona, Turning Level’s house state, by 5 proportion factors after narrowly shedding it in 2020. The group is thought for its flamboyant occasions that always characteristic strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims greater than 250,000 pupil members.Kirk is thought for attending occasions at excessive colleges and schools throughout the nation whereas advocating for conservative views.Due to this, Kirk is seen by some as a controversial determine, as he tends to argue with individuals who don’t agree along with his factors of view. He usually data these arguments and posts them to social media for individuals to debate. The Related Press contributed to this report.

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and Donald Trump ally, was fatally shot at an occasion at Utah Valley College, President Trump confirmed.

Kirk is a well known political activist who helped discovered conservative youth group Turning Level USA. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and is taken into account one of the widespread conservative media personalities.

A backer of Trump through the president’s preliminary 2016 run, Kirk took Turning Level from certainly one of a constellation of well-funded conservative teams to the middle of the right-of-center universe.

Turning Level’s political wing helped run get-out-the-vote for Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, attempting to energise disaffected conservatives who hardly ever vote. Trump gained Arizona, Turning Level’s house state, by 5 proportion factors after narrowly shedding it in 2020. The group is thought for its flamboyant occasions that always characteristic strobe lighting and pyrotechnics. It claims greater than 250,000 pupil members.

Kirk is thought for attending occasions at excessive colleges and schools throughout the nation whereas advocating for conservative views.

Due to this, Kirk is seen by some as a controversial determine, as he tends to argue with individuals who don’t agree along with his factors of view. He usually data these arguments and posts them to social media for individuals to debate.

The Related Press contributed to this report.