Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and an ally of President Donald Trump, was in critical condition Wednesday after being shot at a speaking event in Utah.

“We can confirm that Charlie Kirk has been shot,” Aubrey Laitsch, public relations manager for Turning Point USA, said in a statement. “He is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time.”

Kirk was shot in the neck during a Q&A with students at Utah Valley University shortly before 1 p.m. local time, according to The Deseret News.

The campus was on lockdown Wednesday afternoon and a suspect, who is not a student, is in custody, according to the school.

“A single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker. Police are investigating now, suspect in custody,” read an alert sent to UVU students.

The school said the shot was fired from the Losee Center, a campus building about 200 yards away from where Kirk was speaking. No other injuries were reported.

Video of the shooting posted on social media shows Kirk seated in a tent when a loud pop is heard. Kirk can be seen recoiling as blood gushes from the left side of his neck.

“We are closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” FBI director Kash Patel said on social media. “Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected. Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic 2028 hopeful, denounced the attack on Kirk as “disgusting, vile and reprehensible.”

“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom tweeted.

“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media.

Trump called on Americans to pray for Kirk. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” the president wrote on his social media site.

Kirk was appearing at Utah Valley University, located in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, as part of his “American Comeback Tour.” The school’s Turning Point USA chapter hosted the event.

“Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour,” Kirk wrote in a since-deleted post on social media before the shooting.

A petition to cancel a separate speaking event at Utah State garnered nearly 7,000 signatures.

Kirk, 31, co-founded Turning Point USA, which advocates for conservative politics in high schools and universities, in 2012.

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