Hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah on Sept. 10, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn released a statement.
“I am shocked and saddened by the murder of Charlie Kirk,” Arnn said. “He was my friend. I met him when he was 19 — a sharp young man, full of questions. I watched him grow into a good man and a great American. We pray for his family. Charlie’s virtues were many, and his work for his country will endure.”
In 2024, Arnn appeared on The Charlie Kirk Show, where Kirk encouraged viewers to take Hillsdale College’s online courses.
At the time, Arnn spoke of a movement taking hold in America, praising Kirk’s efforts to change the course of post-secondary education on campuses nationwide. He promised Kirk an honorary degree from Hillsdale College.
“I find that when I go to these college campuses that students deep down want to know, and it’s time we teach them something,” Kirk said.
In February, Kirk and Arnn spoke at Hillsdale College’s National Leadership Seminar in Phoenix, Arizona, home of Turning Point USA — which Kirk co-founded.
Kirk had previously visited Hillsdale College, and was planning a return visit.
Kirk, 31, was speaking in the courtyard of Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 when he was shot in the neck. The incident, captured in graphic detail in video clips that rapidly spread around the internet, sparked fear and panic among the some 3,000 attendees, prompting the school to evacuate the campus and close down as authorities investigated.
Known for his often-provocative discourse on topics ranging from race and gender to immigration and firearms regulation, Kirk often invited members of event crowds to debate him live. At the moment he was shot, Kirk was being questioned by an audience member about gun violence, according to multiple videos of the event posted online.
The shooter and motive, as of 8 a.m. Sept. 11, remain unknown. Police brought two people into custody in the wake of the shooting, but both have been released and are not believed to be the shooter, authorities said.
Kirk was a close ally of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Utah Governor Spencer Cox called the shooting a political assassination and vowed that authorities will capture the shooter.
— USA Today contributed to this report. Contact reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @cmurrayhdn.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: ‘He was my friend’: Charlie Kirk was an ardent supporter of Hillsdale College
Reporting by Corey J. Murray, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
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