Obama Condemns Fatal Shooting of Trump Ally Charlie Kirk

Former United States President, Barack Obama, has condemned the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, describing it as an act of “despicable violence” with no place in a democratic society.

In a post on his official X handle on Wednesday, Obama commiserated with the bereaved family.

“We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children,” he wrote.

According to reports circulating the internet, Kirk, a right-wing activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was fatally shot on Wednesday during a public event at Utah Valley University.

The 31-year-old, who co-founded the largest conservative youth movement in the U.S. in 2012, was addressing a crowd under a tent when he was struck. Witnesses said he collapsed as blood gushed from his neck. He was rushed away on a stretcher by his security detail.

The event was the first of about 15 planned stops on his “American Comeback Tour,” scheduled through the end of October.

Authorities have described the attack as “targeted.” According to Utah’s Department of Public Safety, the shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a nearby building overlooking the student courtyard. Two men were briefly detained for questioning but later released. One of them, George Zinn, was charged with obstruction, though officials said neither man currently has ties to the shooting.

President Trump announced Kirk’s death in a post on his Truth Social platform, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.”

In a sombre video address from the Oval Office, Trump blamed the “radical left” for fueling the climate of hostility that led to the killing.

“This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today,” Trump said. “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organisations that fund it and support it.”

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with authorities yet to identify a suspect or confirm the motive.