Charlie Kirk, founder of the ultraconservative activist organisation Turning Point USA, was assassinated on 10 September 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was addressing an audience of 3,000 people when he collapsed after a gunshot echoed.
Kirk's wife, Erika Kirk, was in Arizona when she received a call informing her of the shooting. After a 30-hour manhunt, police arrested a 22-year-old gamer, who reportedly objected to Kirk's views, as the alleged shooter.
Turning Point USA, which Kirk started in 2012 at the age of 18, has grown significantly. The organisation now employs more than 400 staff, operates with a budget exceeding $100m, and has hundreds of chapters across colleges and high schools. It also launched a political arm, Turning Point Action, which endorses candidates and mobilises Republican voters.