Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah speaking event

Turning Point USA founder and president Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was 31 years old.

Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to a large crowd from underneath a tent in the middle of an outdoor quad. Following the shooting, Kirk was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. He was at the university for an event as part of Turning Point USA’s “American Comeback Tour” that launched this spring.

Kirk rose to prominence after he dropped out of college to pursue political activism and founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) to serve as an organization that promotes conservative youth activism at high school and college campuses.

TPUSA was founded as a non-profit by Kirk in 2012 after Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery encouraged him to pursue political activism in lieu of attending college and helped him launch the group. Later that year, Kirk met Republican donor Foster Friess, who helped finance the nascent political organizing group.

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Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / Getty Images)

According to TPUSA’s website, its mission is to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.”

The group became one of the fastest-growing youth organizations in the U.S. and currently touts a presence on over 3,500 campuses in all 50 states around the country.

TPUSA says that it currently employs over 350 full- and part-time staff who are dedicated to recruiting new activists, registering voters and developing leaders within the conservative movement in their various communities.

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Charlie Kirk was a prominent supporter of Republican political candidates, using TPUSA to mobilize voters. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The organization operates a national field program that sets up tables on campuses to engage in face-to-face conversations, as well as distributing educational materials, registering new activists and hosting campus events.

Kirk conducted an annual tour of college campuses around the country, where he engaged in debate in the “prove me wrong” style that has become synonymous with Kirk’s debating methods.

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Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA says it has a presence on over 3,000 campuses around the U.S. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)

TPUSA has also become known for its activist conferences held around the country each year, including six national summits and eight regional conferences.

Prominent Republican and conservative political figures are frequently highlighted as speakers at TPUSA events.

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Among the notable GOP figures who have spoken at such events include President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and many others.