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In a solemn and emotional statement on Wednesday evening, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA founder and dad of two, Charlie Kirk, to be a “political assassination” that strikes at the very heart of American democracy.
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” Cox said, denouncing the act as an affront to the Founders’ vision that “all men are endowed… with certain inalienable rights. The first one of those is life.”
The Republican governor reminded Americans that Kirk was “first and foremost a husband and a dad to young children,” and that his commitment to free speech was why he was on campus.
Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and to persuade people…
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION SPARKS BIPARTISAN UPROAR OVER POLITICAL VIOLENCE AS UTAH MANHUNT UNDERWAY
Charlie Kirk and his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, in an undated photo posted to social media. (Charlie Kirk via Instagram)
Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent figure in conservative youth activism.
The event at Utah Valley University (UVU) was the inaugural stop on his “American Comeback Tour.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA founder and dad of two, Charlie Kirk, to be a “political assassination.” (Fox News)
Around 12:10 p.m. MDT, a single shot, from approximately 200 yards away, struck Kirk in the neck. Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said that the shooter fired from a nearby roof. Kirk was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A manhunt for the assassin remained ongoing on Wednesday night.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues, and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in an X post Wednesday.
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The Republican governor pledged that investigators “will find you… and hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law.”
“The investigation is ongoing, but I want to make it crystal clear right now to whoever did this. We will find you. We will try you and we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law,” he said.
CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER, DEAD AT 31 AFTER UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING
“And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty…
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