Charlie Kirk Dies After Shooting in Utah
Charlie Kirk was shot and later died during an event in Utah on Wednesday, prompting emotional reactions from various prominent figures in the sports community.
President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk’s death in a post related to the True Society.
Many well-known athletes expressed their condolences, including NFL legends like Brett Favre, former Pittsburgh Steelers players Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, former NFL wide receiver Golden Tate, New York Yankees World Series champion Mark Teixeira, and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. Also weighing in were sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya and journalist Albert Breer.
Jackson Dart, a rookie quarterback for the New York Giants, made several posts on social media, sharing his thoughts on the tragic incident. One of his messages conveyed frustration, stating, “This is some bull—- man! Absolutely tired! Praying for him and his family! Charlie did great things for our country! Political violence needs to be stopped!”
Other notable voices from the sports world, such as Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, and Clay Travis, founder of OutKick, also shared their thoughts and prayers.
Trump announced Kirk’s passing at 4:40 PM on Wednesday, saying, “Even the great and legendary Charlie Kirk is dead. No one understood or connected better with the youth of the United States than Charlie.”
Videos shared from the event depicted Kirk speaking to the crowd from under a white pop-up tent just before the shooting occurred.
Witnesses reported chaos immediately after the incident, with crowd members urging each other to “Run!”
According to a statement from Ellen Trenore, the vice president of strategic communications management at Utah Valley University, the shooting took place around 12:20 PM local time. Campus alerts indicated that a gunshot was fired during the event, and law enforcement is currently investigating.
Kirk was scheduled to appear at Utah Valley University as part of his American comeback tour, with another event planned for Utah State University later this month.
