The conservative activist’s final viral post was about the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.
Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative influencer and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday afternoon.
President Donald Trump, a close ally of Kirk, confirmed his death on Truth Social, calling him a “great and legendary” figure in the MAGA movement. Kirk had been appearing at UVU as part of his American Comeback Tour.
In the hours following his death, Kirk’s final post on X went viral.
Just days earlier, he had commented on the killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina — a case that has drawn renewed attention since suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. was charged with murder.
“If we want things to change, it’s 100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska because it was politics that allowed a savage monster with 14 priors to be free on the streets to kill her,” Kirk wrote.
The Zarutska case has dominated headlines in recent weeks, particularly after graphic surveillance footage of the attack was shared online. The video shows Brown seated behind Zarutska before suddenly rising and slitting her throat, causing her to collapse to the floor of the train.
Kirk’s comments on the case, now his last public words, have spread widely in the wake of his death.
Charlie Kirk’s death: What we know so far
Kirk was about 20 minutes into his UVU appearance when shots were fired. He was answering a student’s question when a bullet struck him.
Witness video shows blood spilling from Kirk’s neck as security rushed him from the stage. He was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
Initially, Utah Valley University officials reported that the suspected shooter had been arrested.
Footage even showed officers detaining an elderly man at the scene. But the university later retracted its statement, clarifying that the man taken into custody was not the suspect.
As of now, police say the shooter remains at large.
