Charlie Kirk's Death: Ex RCB Captain Asks Million-Dollar Question To USA

Charlie Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump and a conservative activist who is said to have played a big role in rallying young Republican voters, was assassinated at a Utah college event where he was the guest speaker. As the global political spectrum condones the killing of Kirk, some crucial questions have also been raised about the rise of gun culture in the United States of America. Even South African cricketer, Faf du Plessis, who also captained Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) asked a million-dollar question after Kirk's death.

Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political youth organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.

"RIP Charlie Kirk. I'll never understand America and why everyone can just have a gun," Du Plessis, who is an active T20 cricketer, posted on X.

RIP Charlie Kirk. I'll never understand America and why everyone can just have a gun.

— Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) September 11, 2025

Several videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong." A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.

After the incident, two people were detained on Wednesday but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting, and both were released, Utah public safety officials said.

Authorities did not immediately identify a motive, but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.

The US President, Trump, also took to social media to condone the death of the 31-year-old while also praising him as "Great, and even Legendary." Later, Trump also released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a "martyr for truth and freedom" and blamed the rhetoric of the "radical left" for the killing.

Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated after the shooting, with officers escorting people to safety. It will be closed until Monday.

With AP Inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

Faf du Plessis Royal Challengers Bengaluru Cricket