Conservative media personality Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour,” prompting bipartisan condemnation from campus political organization leaders at Cornell.
After Kirk’s assassination, due to a tip sent to local law enforcement, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah was arrested and identified as a suspect on Sept. 12.
Kirk previously spoke in Ithaca in 2018 — an event that was originally scheduled to be at Cornell but had to be moved following bureaucratic friction.
Max Whalen ’26, president of Cornell Republicans and member of The Cornell Review Editorial Board, emphasized the “heartbreaking news” of Kirk's death in a message he sent to members of the Cornell Republicans and later shared with The Sun.
“Regardless of politics, we must be clear: all political violence is wrong, and it has no place in our country,” Whalen wrote. “Please keep his family and loved ones in your prayers during this difficult time.”
Cornell Democrats President Niles Hite ’26 described in a statement to The Sun that he was “deeply saddened by the violence that has unfolded.”
“As much as I wish this were an isolated incident, it reflects the deep and growing polarization in our country,” Hite said. “Acts of hate like this will continue as long as we allow division and extremism to fester.”
Kirk was speaking outdoors on Wednesday, answering audience questions when he was struck in the neck by a bullet. Authorities believe the bullet came from a building roughly 200 yards away. The investigation is still ongoing, and law enforcement is working to identify the shooter.
Kirk was known for his controversial political views and for hosting debates on college campuses. In 2012, he founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit conservative organization.
In October 2018, Kirk and Candace Owens were slated to speak at McGraw Hall as part of their “Campus Clash” national tour, with Cornell scheduled to be the final campus stop.
In November 2018, Cornell administrators postponed the event, stating that Cornell’s TPUSA chapter failed to “take the steps required to complete the event registration process.”
However, Cornell TPUSA explained that this effectively cancelled the event, given the short notice. It further attributed the scheduling complications to administrative inflexibility and claimed the University failed to adequately support freedom of speech.
The event was ultimately relocated off campus to Hotel Ithaca at 222 South Cayuga Street.
Hite wrote that while he might hold personal political differences with Kirk, the conservative activist’s death is “nothing short of a tragedy,” especially for Kirk’s wife and two young children, whom Hite holds in his prayers.
“More importantly, the freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of our democracy,” Hite wrote. “It should never be silenced by violence or fear.”
Following Kirk’s death, President Donald Trump ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public grounds until sunset on Sunday, Sept. 14.
Trump also announced that he will posthumously award Kirk with the Medal of Freedom — the nation's highest civilian honor — with the date of the ceremony to be announced soon. Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two children.
“Now more than ever, we face a critical choice: will we continue to fuel the anger and division, or will we take this moment to chart a new path; one grounded in empathy, respect, and unity,” Hite wrote.
Update, Sept. 18, 5:49 p.m.: This article has been updated to explain that Tyler Robinson has been identified as a suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk.
