Charlie Kirk is dead. He was struck in the neck by a bullet during an event held on the campus of Utah Valley University. Since news of the shooting broke, there has been an all-hands-on-deck manhunt between local law enforcement and the FBI to find the shooter and bring him to justice. According toABC News, the FBI has announced that they have recovered a “high-powered bolt action rifle” that was located in a wooded area near the site of the shooting. They also announced that they have a palm print and a forearm print that is believed to belong to the shooter, who is said to have escaped into a neighborhood adjacent to the UVU campus.
Law enforcement officials have revealed that they have “good” video footage of the alleged shooter arriving on campus, walking the stairwells to the roof, and firing the fatal round.
The FBI has released the first photos of the man they believe to be the shooter.
Reactions to Kirk’s death have been a lightning rod of controversy online, with some mourning the right-wing pundit and others celebrating his demise. Those who are apathetic to Kirk’s death argue that he not only espoused racist and bigoted ideology, but he also believed that empathy was poison.
“I can’t stand the word empathy, actually,” said Kirk in 2022. “I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that—it does a lot of damage. But, it is very effective when it comes to politics. Sympathy, I prefer more than empathy. That’s a separate topic for a different time.”
Republicans wasted no time politicizing Kirk’s death by attempting to blame Democrats for the rise of political violence.
Before making his commemorative 9/11 remarks at the Pentagon today, Donald Trump announced that he will be awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt. Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” he said to start his remarks.
“Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children—fantastic people they are,” Trump continued. “We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on.”
Pretty disgusting to see someone as despicable as Charlie Kirk being sanitized and turned into a martyr.
