On Wednesday, Sept. 10, at about 12:20 p.m., conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at an event for students at Utah Valley University. A few hours later, President Donald Trump confirmed his death on Truth Social.
According to the BBC, the attack came just moments after Kirk fielded a question about gun violence in schools. A commenter asked Kirk to identify the number of mass shooters in the past five years, and as Kirk began his answer, a shot rang out and crowd panic set in. The graphic video was quickly shared across social media, with millions of Americans witnessing his death.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox condemned the murder as a political assassination, which occurred the same hour as a school shooting at Evergreen High School near Denver, Colo. CBS local news reported that the shooter injured two students, one being in critical condition, before shooting and killing himself. An eyewitness said the students were at lunch when he heard 15-30 gunshots. Hundreds of law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and by the end of the night students had been reunited with their families.
Senior Rory Scarlett said she was saddened to see gun violence claim another victim, but felt that there is not enough attention on the hundreds of school shootings that have happened across the country in recent years. She said she felt that it was hypocritical to post on social media about Kirk’s death, but not the shooting at Evergreen High School.
Scarlett and an anonymous teacher both said that they believe the incident will not lead to change but to more division in government. They point to Trump’s speech on Wednesday night when he called for an end to political violence from the left and ordered that flags be flown at half-mast in mourning of Kirk’s death. According to ABC, Trump did not mention the shooting at Evergreen High School or the assassination of Minnesota Democratic representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were killed in their home
on June 14.
“There are so many mass shootings that don’t get this attention … we’re sort of being desensitized to it to the point where we don’t even respond. A school shooting doesn’t even make breaking news anymore. It’s just sort of what happens in the world we live in.”
the teacher said.
An anonymous student said they disagreed, saying that Kirk’s death will lead to more attention about gun violence. While he said he doesn’t believe that gun laws will become stricter, he said he hopes it will bring awareness to the issue.
“[Kirk’s] gonna be a martyr. I think people are going to realize that political violence should not be allowed,” the student said.
