Media Advisory
Update: Charlie Kirk Shooting at UVU
Orem, Utah — At approximately 12:20 pm MST, Political Influencer Charlie Kirk was speaking at a student-sponsored event with Turning Point USA. Charlie was shot during the event at Utah Valley University (UVU), after which he was taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital and hours later pronounced dead.
This shooting is still an active investigation. The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are co-leading this incident in unison with the Utah County Attorney’s office, the Utah County Sheriff’s office, and the local police departments.
We initially took in George Zinn as a suspect. He was later released and charged with obstruction by UVU police. A second suspect, Zachariah Qureshi, was taken into custody and released after interrogation with law enforcement. There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals. There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter.
The FBI has created a digital media tip line for information regarding this shooting at fbi.gov/UtahValleyShooting. We ask the public to please provide any information they may have to this tip line.
DPS’s State Crime Lab, along with all law enforcement involved, are working multiple active crime scenes. These were identified based on where the victim was shot, as well as the locations where the suspect and victim traveled.
The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack. The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard. Any additional clarifications cannot be provided to protect the integrity of our investigation.
To secure the event, UVU PD had six officers working the event. These security measures were in addition to Charlie Kirk’s security detail, who travels with him. Approximately 3,000 people attended. The location of the event was held in the university quad, an outdoor bowl courtyard on campus for events.
This is a tragic moment for Utah and our country. As we all heal, we encourage those who need help to call 988, our state’s mental health crisis line.
The UVU campus will be closed for the rest of the week. If students, faculty, or staff need additional information about the campus, please visit uvu.info.
For media partners who want to get on our distribution list for this incident, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6cNaXS6H4Z1eIT6N5r1wYXWlmL8H5VMmCDygZW3N6M_qXQA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114556101743302954429
For the livestream of the press conference, please go to Instagram @UtahDPS. We will have higher-quality video available later tonight. We will send it as soon as it’s available.
Any inquiries regarding visits from federal political leaders should be directed to their offices.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Hillary Koellner
DPS Director of Communications and Public Affairs
[email protected]
385-296-4311
For media updates, please follow the link and fill out the Google form.
https://mailchi.mp/utah/for-immediate-release-updates-on-charlie-kirk-shooting-at-uvu?e=a65d0ba5ab