Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Tuesday while speaking at Utah Valley University, sending shockwaves through political circles and raising concerns about an uptick in political violence.
Kirk built a national following by hosting live campus debates and spearheading youth conservative activism through Turning Point USA, a group with chapters at college campuses nationwide.
In Michigan, Kirk made several appearances, including one in Detroit last year and another at Michigan State University in East Lansing in April.
“First, I was obviously very sad and angry. But the problem is that this doesn’t come as a surprise. We’ve seen political violence on both sides of the aisle at an all-time high, and what we need to do is take a step back as a country and look at how divided we are, whether Democrat or Republican,” said Krish Mathrani, youth chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
Mathrani has attended multiple events hosted by Kirk in Michigan, including the one at Michigan State.
“Charlie made it normal to be active in politics, made it cool, and made it something that people should be more interested in,” Mathrani said.
Alex Bitzan, the president of Michigan State’s Turning Point Chapter, helped organize the April event, saying it was very similar to the one held in Utah.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet Charlie a couple of times, most notably at that event in April. Absolutely tragic that we’ve hit the place in our nation where going out and inviting people who disagree with you to come to the front of the line and have a conversation results in political assassinations. It’s a tragic reality of the world,” Bitzan said.
Matthew Schneider, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said the suspect in the Utah shooting will likely face both state and federal charges once arrested.
“Whatever it is, I’m certain that federal prosecutors will be able to bring a charge here,” Schneider said. “It’s very likely that the end result could be either a life offense or a death penalty offense.”
Schneider warned that attacks like this one pose a threat to democracy.
“Just because you have a free speech right and make your voice known — that should never, ever result in violence,” Schneider said.
Statements from Elected Officials and Colleges
Michigan lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned the shooting in a bipartisan statement.
“We’re horrified by the shooting of Charlie Kirk yesterday and deeply disturbed by the rise in political violence taking place across our country,” read a joint statement from Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), deans of Michigan’s House delegations. “Silencing voices through violence erodes our foundational principles.”
Colleges across the country — including those where Kirk previously spoke — are looking at event security in the wake of the shooting.
Michigan State University stated that its Department of Police and Public Safety (DPPS) collaborates closely with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure safety at all campus events.
“Each event is individually planned with the mission always being the safety of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors,” MSU said in a statement.
At Oakland University, President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz emphasized the importance of civil discourse in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“There is no place for violence on college campuses or anywhere,” Pescovitz said in a message to the campus community. “While we welcome viewpoint diversity and free speech on campus, we do hold a firm line against violence, discrimination, intimidation, and unlawful harassment.”