First lady Melania Trump has shared a message about Charlie Kirk’s children in the wake of the conservative activist’s assassination at Utah Valley University.
Kirk, 31, founder and CEO of Turning Point USA and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was addressing around 3,000 people gathered in UVU’s outdoor quad when the fatal shot rang out at approximately 12:20PM.
According to videos taken at the scene, he was responding to a question about gun violence at the time. "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?" one audience member asked, to which Kirk replied: "Too many."
The person then said there had been five in 10 years and asked the Trump ally how many mass shooters there had been in that time. "Counting or not counting gang violence?" was Kirk's reply. Then a single shot rang out.
Eyewitness footage shows him recoiling in his chair with blood visible on his neck before collapsing, as panic swept the crowd.
"I heard a loud shot, a loud bang, and then I saw his body actually - in slow motion - kind of fall over," one eyewitness told reporters, per BBC News.
Kirk was rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle, but hours later, Trump confirmed his death on Truth Social. Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two young children were present but unharmed.
In a tribute video, Trump said Kirk loved his family “more than anything in the world.” He also wrote: “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!”
First lady Melania Trump shared her own emotional message on X, lamenting that Kirk’s son and daughter will grow up without their father.
“Charlie’s children will be raised with stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father’s voice should have echoed,” she wrote. “Charlie Kirk’s life should serve as a symbolic reminder that compassionate awareness elevates family, love, and country.”
Frantzve, a former NCAA basketball player, ministry leader, model, and winner of the 2012 Miss Arizona pageant, married Kirk in 2021.
Their daughter turned three in August, and their son celebrated his first birthday in May. She frequently posted photos of Kirk spending time with the children.
Authorities say the fatal shot was likely fired from the roof of UVU’s Losee Center, overlooking the courtyard.
Security footage and eyewitness accounts suggest the suspect was “dressed in dark clothing,” and videos circulating online claim to show a figure on the rooftop afterward.
The investigation has already been marked by confusion. Two men were detained within hours as “persons of interest,” including one described by his mother as a Kirk supporter who had traveled to hear him speak.
Another, an older man, was dragged away by police in front of onlookers after officers said he confessed. Both were later released.
FBI Director Kash Patel first announced the shooter was in custody but reversed course that evening, saying: "The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues, and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency."
As of now, the gunman who killed Kirk remains at large.