On that fateful September 9, 2025, Charlie Kirk was shot dead during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. He was executive director of Turning Point USA and one of the leading rightwing activists in America. He was in the middle of a passionate discussion with one of his students on the topic of mass shootings here in the US. Little did we know, tragedy struck at the same time.
Kirk was the 31 when he died early in his career. He was a vigorous public opponent of gay and transgender equality. His killing has led to protests and condemnation across the world, and outrage from elected representatives of both major American political parties. Utah Governor Spencer Cox is rightfully outraged by the incident. He stressed that we need to understand clearly the deep and sinister reasons for this attack.
The kinetic artist, whose full name is Sterling David Robinson, is a third-year student in an electrical apprenticeship program at nearby Dixie Technical College. After a manhunt that lasted for two days, Robinson turned himself in to the police. Investigators are treating the killing of Kirk as a potential hate crime. The officers discovered additional evidence, including markings on bullet casings at the scene that made them suspicious.
The authorities found messages like “Hello fascist!” and “Oh, Bella ciao,” in reference to an Italian anti-fascist resistance song, among others. One particularly notable inscription read: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO,” which has raised further questions about the killer’s motivations.
Governor Cox addressed the media regarding the ongoing investigation, stating, “That information comes from the people around him, from his family members and his friends – that’s how we got that information.” He acknowledged the complexities surrounding the case, saying, “There’s so much more that we’re learning, and so much more that we will learn.”
Kirk received nasty social media attacks from homophobic and transphobic Utah politician. That criticism was the result of discriminatory rhetoric concerning transgender women’s participation in athletics. This incident puts into question whether previous aggressions might have played a role in Robinson feeling he had to act.
In response to Kirk’s death, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg remarked, “Every American is harmed by this – it’s an attack on an individual and an attack on a country whose entire purpose, entire way of being is that we can resolve what we need to resolve through a political process.” He implored members of the public to choose discussion over discord and conversation over conflict.
Senator Lindsey Graham weighed in on the tragedy, calling for peaceful discourse among political opponents: “What I’m asking everybody to do is not to resort to violence to settle your political differences.”
As inquiries continue, Governor Cox expressed that officials are still working through information to verify things. “Those are things that are still being processed for accuracy and verification,” he noted. He provided assurance regarding Robinson’s cooperation with law enforcement: “I will say that that person has been very cooperative with authorities.”