FOX News host Will Cain broke down in an emotional on-air moment as he announced the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday afternoon just moments after he spoke about gun violence in America.
X/Nick SortorFox News host Will Cain gave a moment of silence after announcing the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk[/caption]
APKirk, 31, was killed as he hosted an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday[/caption]
ReutersAttendees ran for cover after hearing gunfire and watching Kirk slump in his chair[/caption]
APHis death was announced by President Donald Trump, who was a longtime friend of the conservative organizer[/caption]
The organizer and outspoken ally of Donald Trump was hosting a Q&A session with students for his nonprofit group Turning Point USA when gunfire rang out.
Disturbing videos circulating on social media captured the moment blood gushed out of his neck after he was struck.
Attendees screamed, “Get down!” and crowds raced away from the tent where Kirk was sitting and speaking with students.
Kirk was known for hosting events where college students could ask him questions, and he could give his conservative point of view.
The dad of two had just started chatting with someone about mass shootings when the shot rang out, and he slumped into his chair.
His death was confirmed by longtime friend Trump, who called Kirk “legendary.”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” said the president.
Trump shared his statement while Cain was hosting The Will Cain Show, and the host interrupted a guest to break the news.
He said it was his “great dishonor” to confirm that Kirk had died before reading out Trump’s post.
Cain then made a long pause before questioning how the country would move on from such a devastating tragedy.
Before Kirk’s death was confirmed, the teary-eyed host held a moment of silence and made an urgent plea for prayers.
“We are going to pause and offer our prayer. We hope you join along,” Cain said.
After taking a few seconds, the host said, “However, and to whomever you pray, I hope you pray for Charlie Kirk.”
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
12 pm MDT– Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a suspect is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
BRUTAL ASSASSINATION
Kirk was answering an attendee who asked about the number of mass shootings in the US in the past 10 years when the shot was fired.
The activist’s final words were “Counting or not counting gang violence?”
First responders raced the organizer to the hospital in critical condition, and he died hours later.
The shooter who killed Kirk hasn’t been caught, and an urgent manhunt has been launched throughout the rural Utah town.
Officials appeared to have arrested a man in pictures taken at the scene, but the university later confirmed that he wasn’t the suspect and had been let go.
Shots were fired from the Losee Center, which is a building about 200 yards away from the stage where Kirk spoke, UVU spokeswoman Ellen Treanor told The New York Times.
UVU told students to leave the campus immediately, and announced that police officers were helping escort people away.
Elected officials reaction to Charlie Kirk shooting
Vice President JD Vance: “Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour.”
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: “Political violence must be always and totally rejected,” Buttigieg wrote on X. “Praying for him and all who may have been injured or impacted.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom: “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker: “The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying. Political violence has no place in this country and should never become the norm. I’m sending my sympathies to his family and friends at this time.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: “The way to resolve political disputes is not through violence. The way to do that is to ask questions, debate. An attack on the idea that we resolve these things through reasoned debate and elections.”
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: I’m horrified by the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college event in Utah. Political violence has no place in our country.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Praying for @charliekirk11″
‘PRAYERS FOR ERIKA’
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika Frantzve and their two children.
Speaking on a panel for Real America’s Voice, Dr. Gina Loudon, who has known the organizer since he was a child, said she’s praying for his widow.
“Well my prayers are for Erika, for her children, for his family,” she said.
“This is beyond devastating.”
Loudon’s voice broke as she shared memories of Kirk “running around” and attending conservative events when he was younger.
She eventually had to stop speaking and was left merely shaking her head.
TERRIFIED WITNESS
Former Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah who was attending the event, said that a massive crowd had gathered to see Kirk.
He relived the horrific moment that he watched the speaker be hit, saying, “I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards into his left.”
“As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine,” he told Fox News.
Chaffetz said that he soon looked away and turned to his loved ones to make sure they were safe.
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