Lower Bucks Co. Leaders React To Charlie Kirk Killing

LOWER BUCKS 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.

"Political violence is never warranted," Democratic State Sen. Steve Santarsiero said. "It was not acceptable when Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hartman and her husband were murdered, and Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were gunned down in June, and it is not acceptable with the murder of Charlie Kirk. It is imperative that we return to civil discourse."

"Praying for Charlie Kirk and his family. Please join me," U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican, 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."

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.

“We’re heartbroken to hear that Charlie Kirk has died. Today is a dark day for our country. When a man who has made civil discourse and free speech his life’s work is murdered, our society suffers. Charlie Kirk has inspired a generation of conservative young men and women, and our nation is forever grateful to him for his work," the Bucks County Republican Committee said.

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.

"Charlie Kirk’s life was senselessly taken in a horrific and public act of violence, simply because of his political beliefs. He was a father, a husband, and a son," Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said. "No one should ever fear for their safety because of their political beliefs, and no family should ever suffer this type of loss. His family will have to live with this unimaginable loss every day of their lives. This is not who we are as Americans. Now more than ever, we need to build a community where everyone feels safe to participate in our democracy, and where political violence is unequivocally condemned."

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'Unconscionable': PA Leaders React To Charlie Kirk Killing

"Political violence has no place within our country, and the Bucks County Democrats unequivocally condemn the shooting of Charlie Kirk," the Bucks County Democratic Committee said in a statement. This is not who we are as Americans. We hope that he is okay and recovers quickly from this senseless violence.”

State Rep. Brian Munroe called Kirk a "father, husband, community member, American."

"Political violence needs to stop," Munroe said. "The answer to ideological disagreement is not violence. Regardless of our beliefs, we need to remember we’re all human and treat each other accordingly."

Indivisible Bucks County also posted a message on its Facebook page.

"Politically inspired violence is never an acceptable answer," Indivisible Bucks County said. "It solves nothing, and it often sparks additional violence in response. We reject political violence in all its forms. And we offer our condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Kirk."

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.

“The news out of Utah about the attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying," said Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a Democrat. "Political violence against anyone is wrong and must never be tolerated. I’m praying for Charlie Kirk and his family.”

“We need to be better. That includes politicians and everyday Americans," state Sen. Frank Farry, a Republican, said. "We’ve spent the better part of a decade living through division, but now we have to come together. Talk to each other and more importantly listen to one another.”