why was charlie kirk killed

Charlie Kirk was fatally shot by a 22-year-old named Tyler Robinson during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. The FBI revealed that the suspected motive behind the assassination was Robinson's dislike of Kirk because he believed Kirk "spread hate." Robinson had mentioned to his family that he disliked Kirk for this reason just a day before the shooting. The attack happened when Kirk was addressing a crowd about mass shootings and gun violence; Robinson fired a single shot from a rooftop about 130 meters away, hitting Kirk in the neck. After the shooting, Robinson fled, sparking a massive manhunt that ended with his arrest. The killing is seen as a politically motivated attack amid rising political violence in the US.