Charlie Kirk: Utah governor calls for death penalty for shooter of dead right-wing influencer

The governor of Utah has reminded a press conference that the state ‘still [has] the death penalty’ after right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk was killed by a shooter.

Charlie Kirk, a conservative pundit and Turning Point USA co-founder was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (10 September), with a suspect released from custody according to FBI Director Kash Patel.

In a press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated that a “person of interest” was in custody, and that the ongoing investigation was open. It is unclear whether Cox and Patel were referencing the same person.

Cox also invoked the state’s death penalty for the shooter, reportedly saying: “I want to make it crystal clear right now to whoever did this, we will find you.

“We will try you and we will hold you accountable for the furthest extent of the law. And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis similarly called for the death penalty; in a television interview on Fox News, he said he was “very angry with what happened today”.

“Obviously they gotta catch this guy. We need a very quick death penalty prosecution. I don’t wanna see this take forever and a day. We need justice for this,” he said.

Patel wrote on X of the suspected Charlie Kirk shooter: “The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.”

He later added that that individual has now been released: “The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”

There has been confusion among reports over who exactly has been arrested. According to the BBC, Patel and Utah Governor Spencer Cox said a suspect (presumed to be the one now released) was in custody – but another official, Beau Mason, said the suspect was at large.

The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency https://t.co/YXsG6YpFR5

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025

Condolences have been issued from both sides of the political spectrum, most notably from Republican president Donald Trump.

“No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “He was loved and admired by all, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”

Former US president Joe Biden also gave a statement, saying there is “No place in our country for this kind of violence.”

Fellow former president, Barack Obama, said in a post on X/Twitter: “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.”

Kirk was speaking on the first stop of his ‘Prove Me Wrong (The American Comeback)’ Tour when he was shot while sat behind tables under a tent.

Videos of the incident circulating across social media show Kirk answering a question on mass shootings moments before he was shot. A loud bang can be heard, before Kirk can be seen jerking backwards. Blood can be seen on his neck.

Best known for co-founding Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, Kirk was known for holding open-air debates on campuses, where he often expressed right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ views.