By VIVIAN KOPKA and ALIVIA RENTERIA
Charlie Kirk, a controversial conservative public speaker and debate leader, was shot and killed this past Wednesday, Sept. 10, during one of his well-known “Prove Me Wrong” debate sessions at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He held these events often, appearing at colleges and universities across the country and giving students the opportunity to defend their own viewpoints.
The shooting occurred just past noon that day, during a crowd debate on the topic of gun control and school shootings. The bullet pierced the left side of his neck, The Washington Post says, leaving the MAGA activist incapacitated in his chair while his crew lunged for safety behind the tables of the debate booth and onlookers fled. Witnesses were unharmed, as only one bullet was fired from the gun, a .30-06 caliber Mauser.
Authorities believe this bolt-action rifle may have belonged to Tyler Robinson, a 22 year old student at Dixie Technical College. Robinson was apprehended by authorities well into the evening Sept. 11, having evaded the police’s efforts for more than a day before he was officially identified and taken into custody.
Charlie Kirk was rushed by his crew to a personal vehicle, likely owned by himself or his company. According to NDT News, he was then rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, being pronounced dead soon after, around 3:40 p.m.
The death itself was first officially announced by President Donald Trump on his social media app, Truth Social. President Trump states, “He’s a Martyr for truth and freedom, and there has never been anyone who is so respected by youth.”
Reactions to Kirk’s death have been greatly divided, with some internet users praising the actions of the shooter as “dramatic irony,” while others either mourn or stand firm in beliefs that no murder is justified. Those who believe the killing to be righteous use the activist’s past arguments as justification.
One such argument that is most often quoted refers to his stance on gun regulations. When asked about the countless lives lost to gun violence, Kirk stated, “I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
In fact, in his final moments of debate, and in life, the topic of discussion had been about gun violence. A member of the crowd asked, “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last ten years?” Kirk replied, “Too many,” to which the speaker in the crowd answered: “it’s five,” then continued by asking how many mass shooters there have been in America in the same time frame. This is the moment Charlie Kirk delivered his final words, “counting or not counting gang violence?” only for the argument to be swiftly cut short by the crack of the gunshot and the panic diffusing through the crowd.
Despite the mass amounts of people cheering on the attacker, many others view this, as any death, as a horrific and mournful event. Fox Business reports more than 2.8 million dollars raised through a GoFundMe campaign for his family. Kirk’s body was transported back to his home state of Arizona via the Air Force Two, accompanied by his wife, children, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance as well as his wife. Many communities and businesses across America have organized candlelight vigils and memorials in his honor. The evening of his death, White House flags were drawn to half mast out of respect to Kirk, according to Fox News. This is an honor that is not granted to many, even members of congress themselves.
Of the four engraved bullet casings found alongside the gun, which had been abandoned in a wooded area not far from the scene of the incident, only one had been spent. Each bore a message, some political but others containing references to internet culture and memes. The three unspent casings read: “Hey fascist, catch! ⬆➞⬇⬇⬇,” “O Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,” and, “If you read this, you are GAY lmao.” The spent casing, and the most bizarre of all, read, “Notices Bulges OWO what’s this?”
These messages, while juvenile at a first glance, hold political meaning. The “Hey fascist” bullet is for the most part obvious in its meaning, but the seemingly nonsensical arrows left many seeking answers. The New York Post explains this sequence to be a code from the video game Helldivers 2. The code is used in-game to summon the Eagle 500kg bomb. The “Bella Ciao” bullet references a song which was used to rally against Mussolini in WWII era Italy, and has since become a symbol of resistance in the face of a corrupt system. The last two messages come from internet humor and a niche meme often used in online trolling most likely meant to satirize the act.
This is not the first time engraved bullets have been used in a political homicide in the past year. In December 2024, the United Healthcare CEO was shot and killed. Bullet casings found at the scene, according to Forbes, read, “Deny, Defend, Depose.” This connection leaves one to wonder: Could the killing of a CEO spark a new trend of political assassinations in today’s youth?
Here is what Beloit college students had to say about the event:
“I mean, I don’t want to sound like an unempathetic person, but what goes around comes around. I feel for the people who are grieving for him, nobody deserves to die, but I don’t feel like he didn’t deserve to die.” -Naomi Floren’28
Featured image: PBS
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