Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on Wednesday during a student event at Utah Valley University in what authorities described as a targeted assassination. In the wake of the killing, Kirk’s controversial remarks about Indian migrants have once again resurfaced. Only last week, he argued that the United States did not need to grant more visas to Indians, declaring that the country was “full” and should prioritise “our own people first.”
“America does not need more visas for people from India. Perhaps no form of legal immigration has so displaced American workers as those from India. Enough already. We’re full. Let’s finally put our own people first,” Kirk wrote on X, on 2 September. His post was a response to Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, who suggested any trade deal with New Delhi would require the US to expand visas for Indians.
The 31-year-old co-founder of the right-wing youth group Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump was struck in the neck by a single bullet while addressing an audience of about 3,000 people. He was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where doctors later pronounced him dead.
Authorities said the Utah shooting appeared to be carefully planned. Investigators believe the gunman fired from a rooftop overlooking the courtyard and fled the scene dressed in dark clothing. Two men were briefly taken into custody but later released without charges. By Wednesday evening, no one was in custody, though a law enforcement official told the Associated Press that officers were pursuing a new “person of interest.” The FBI has launched a digital tip line and urged the public to share information.
Utah governor Spencer Cox condemned the killing as a “political assassination,” while state public safety commissioner Beau Mason said evidence pointed to Kirk being deliberately targeted.
President Trump confirmed Kirk’s death on his Truth Social platform, calling him “great, and even legendary.” He wrote, “No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
