House Speaker Mike Johnson mourned the shooting of Charlie Kirk and held a moment of silence for the esteemed conservative organizer and Turning Point USA founder after he was fatally shot in the neck at Utah Valley University.
“We ask everyone to pray for him and his family,” Johnson told reporters before the moment of silence. “This is detestable what’s happened. Political violence has become all too common in American society.”
“This is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country.”
After the brief moment of silence in the House chamber, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Co.) then rose and asked for a spoken prayer, arguing that “silent prayers get silent results.”
Democratic lawmakers nearby erupted in dismay. Some were heard grousing, “no.”
The chamber then descended into nasty bickering and jeering.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) was heard shouting at them in response and appeared to say, “y’all caused this.”
Johnson eventually reined in the chaos with the speaker’s gavel.
Kirk, 31, had been shot while speaking at UVU as part of his American Comeback Tour. The conservative star was doing a question-and-answer session with students on campus when he was struck by a single gunshot.
He was then rushed to the hospital before later being publicly pronounced dead.
Here's the latest on the Charlie Kirk shooting in Utah
- The 31-year-old Turning Point USA creator was shot dead at Utah Valley University.
- The event was a stop on his American Comeback Tour.
- The conservative influencer had just answered a question about transgender shooters when he was shot.
- Kirk, a rising MAGA star, is survived by his wife and two young children.
- The shooter is still at large.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” President Trump mourned on Truth Social.
“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Trump also ordered the US flag to be flown at half-staff through Sunday.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA when he was just 18 years old, and the group quickly grew into one of the largest and most influential conservative activist organizations in the country.
Many political analysts have credited him with playing a key role in helping Trump get reelected last November through his grassroots work in battleground states.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two children.
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