Montco Leaders React To Charlie Kirk Killing

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Lawmakers, law enforcement, and leaders from both political parties are reacting to the shooting of controversial right-wing conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at an event in Utah on Wednesday afternoon.

Videos posted on social media showed Kirk, 31, in the midst of a response about mass shootings when he was hit by a single shot in the neck. Kirk slumped off his chair after the shooting and was rushed off the stage to a nearby hospital, where he died.

"I’m praying for Charlie Kirk," Congresswoman Madeleine Dean said in a statement. "Political violence is never the answer — and we must never tolerate such despicable action. Our nation is better than this. In such a frightening time, my thoughts are with Mr. Kirk’s family and the Utah Valley University community who are now forever changed by this horror."

The shooting comes just over a year after President Trump, then campaigning for a second term, was grazed by a bullet during an event in Pennsylvania. One person was killed and two others seriously injured in that incident.

"Political disagreements should be fought at the ballot box, not by pulling a trigger," State Rep. Ben Sanchez said. "Gun violence is not the answer to our differences."

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'Unconscionable': PA Leaders React To Charlie Kirk Killing

Kirk rose to prominence as a teenager in 2012 as the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a student organization that became active in culture war issues and debates on college campuses. It rapidly grew into one of the most widespread and influential conservative media outlets and organizations in the nation. In the years since, Kirk has become a staunch Trump ally and has in turn been praised effusively by the President himself.

"The shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University is horrifying and deeply unacceptable," Montgomery County Commissioner Neal Makhija said. "My thoughts are with Kirk’s family and all those affected by this vile act. Violence has no place in politics, in our schools, or in our society."

Kirk's event was at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. A university spokeswoman, Ellen Treanor, told the New York Times that Kirk was struck about 20 minutes after he began speaking on campus. She said a suspect had fired at Kirk from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away.

"Praying for Charlie Kirk and his family. Please join me," U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican who represents Horsham and other eastern Montco communities, said. "Political violence is despicable — morally wrong, fundamentally un-American, and intolerable in any and all forms. It cannot continue. We must stand together, across every divide, to reject it completely and recommit ourselves to resolving differences through dialogue, not destruction."