Was Charlie Kirk asked about mass shootings before he was shot? Right-wing activist's last words before his assassination explored 

Trump ally and political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, at an event in Utah Valley University. According to BBC's report dated September 11, the right-wing activist was addressing a crowd of approximately 3,000 people at an outdoor bowl courtyard when the incident occurred.

As per the report, Kirk was responding to a question about gun violence when a gunshot was fired at him around 12:20 pm local time. According to ABP Live's report dated September 11, a few moments before Charlie Kirk was shot, a member of the audience asked him about the number of transgender Americans who have been "mass shooters over the last 10 years?”

After Kirk responded, "Too many", to the first question, the same audience member said, “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kirk's response to the question was:

“Counting or not counting gang violence?”

Shortly after the political activist posed the counter question, he was shot, making the six-word question the last words to come out of his mouth. Videos of the incident show blood streaming from Kirk's gunshot wound as he clutched his neck with students running around in panic.

The right-wing activist succumbed to his injuries despite a prompt emergency response.

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More details about Charlie Kirk explored in the wake of his assassination at Utah Valley University

Charlie Kirk was one of the high-profile media personalities and conservative activists in the U.S., best known as Trump's ally. The political activist was a close friend of Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and the two travelled together to Greenland in 2025.

Kirk's ties to Trump were visible with his presence at the presidential inauguration as a guest and regular visits to the White House. Additionally, the political activist was one of the first people to support current Vice President JD Vance to be Trump's running mate.

Shortly after Kirk's demise, Donald Trump took to Truth Social on September 10, 2025, to express his condolences, writing:

"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

In addition to being a political activist, Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2012 at the age of 18. For the uninitiated, TPUSA is an American non-profit student organization that focuses on promoting conservative ideals on college campuses across the US.

Kirk had a massive social media following and also hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a radio programme and podcast with a reach of over 500,000 listeners every month. Additionally, Charlie Kirk starred as a guest co-host on Fox & Friends and made regular Fox News appearances.

Over time, the right-wing political activist gained popularity for open campus debates across the U.S. with his signature "change my mind" style, similar to the one he undertook on the day of his assassination.

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Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, whom he married in 2021. The couple shared two children, a son and a daughter.