"Heartbreaking": Hailie Deegan's mother mourns Charlie Kirk after shocking assassination at Utah university

Famous political activist and key Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk was shot dead in an event at Utah Valley University, leading families to pay their condolences for Kirk, including Hailie Deegan's mother, Marissa Deegan. The 48-year-old penned a message on her Instagram story, sharing how the assassination was truly heartbreaking as she reflected on the tragic incident.

Charlie Kirk was known for his political and conservative views in the United States. He had also formed a conservative organization, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012, when he was just 18 years old, with the organization soon growing in number.

Moreover, at Utah Valley University, he was speaking at an event hosted by TPUSA when he was shot by an unidentified person. The videos surfacing on social media showcased the panic that soon ensued after the gunshot struck Kirk, and a wave of frenzy spread through.

Subsequently, the 31-year-old passed away due to the incident. Families across the United States paid their condolences, including Marissa Deegan, who wrote:

"Completely heartbreaking. My hearts for this ❤️🙏🏻"

Marissa Deegan's Instagram story on September 10 | Source: Instagram/@marissadeegan

This was not the sole story that the 48-year-old had put up for Kirk, as she further posted:

Marissa Deegan's Instagram story on September 10 | Source: Instagram/@marissadeegan

Marissa posted another story to pay tribute to the 31-year-old:

Marissa Deegan's Instagram story on September 10 | Source: Instagram/@marissadeegan

Meanwhile, Marissa is the mother of 2025 Indy NXT driver Hailie Deegan. Hailie drove for HMD Motorsports in her first full-time open-wheel racing campaign in her racing career.

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How did Hailie Deegan's rookie Indy NXT season fare in comparison to her competitors?

HMD Motorsports' Hailie Deegan at the Indy NXT Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

Hailie Deegan had envisioned joining the premier league of stock car racing in NASCAR since she made her racing debut when she was young. The 24-year-old even reached the Xfinity Series (the Indy NXT equivalent of NASCAR), but was dropped midway through her rookie season by AM Racing.

After parting ways with the NASCAR field, she took up open-wheel racing in the meantime and was confirmed as an Indy NXT driver for HMD Motorsports in the final quarter of 2024. Knowing that it was going to be her maiden open-wheel racing campaign, expectations heading into the season were limited.

Despite this, Deegan showed improvement over the following 14 rounds of racing. The 24-year-old qualified inside the top-10 three times over the year, with her highlight of the season coming at Laguna Seca, where she finished 11th at the checkered flag.

Hailie Deegan amassed 202 points over the 14 rounds, finishing 14th among the 16 full-time drivers in the series.