By Rebecca St Fleur
Correspondent
Charlie Kirk was only a few minutes into speaking for an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, when a single shot rang out from a nearby building.
The New York Times reports that Ellen Treanor, a spokesperson for UVU claims that, “Kirk was struck by a suspect who had fired from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.”
Initially, it was reported that a suspect was arrested and in police custody, however Deseret News was told by officials that “the status of the shooter is unclear.”
The health status of Kirk is still unknown, but he has been taken to the hospital. For now, UVU has indefinitely canceled classes and evacuated the campus.
According to The New York Times, “the police have determined that a person who was taken into custody after the shooting was not actually the shooter, according to Scott Trotter, a university spokesman. The university had earlier said a suspect was in custody.”
CNN disclosed the account of Emma Pitts, a reporter for Deseret News. She described the sight, saying, “then you see Charlie go limp…His neck kind of turned, and we saw blood immediately.”
Kirk is a right-wing influencer, who has gained viral traction for his videos in which he debates against college students. He is also the head of Turning Point USA, a non-profit organization that champions conservative principles. Kirk is a close ally to President Donald Trump, who has called for prayers at this time.
Moments before the shot was fired, Kirk was being posed questions about mass shootings in America. “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?” someone asks.
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk responds. Seconds after, he is shot.
This is a developing story, more details to come.
