HARRIS COUNTY, TX – Judge Lina Hidalgo of Harris County, Texas, on Wednesday issued a statement after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University.
“I am gutted to learn about the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah,” Hidalgo said. “I’ve lived in countries where people could be killed for speaking their minds, and it breaks my heart to see that happen here in the United States. I hope this tragedy marks a turn toward dialogue instead of hatred and violence.”
Kirk, a conservative political commentator and co-founder of the youth organization Turning Point USA, was killed after being shot while speaking to students on campus. He was struck in the neck by gunfire from about 200 yards away, taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died.
There has been an outpouring of condemnation from both sides of the political aisle. Former President Donald J. Trump, who has credited Kirk with galvanizing the youth vote and embodying the Republican Party’s brand of populist conservatism in the social media age, called him “a truly Great American Patriot.” Trump also announced on Truth Social that all American flags across the United States are to be lowered to half-staff until Sunday in Kirk’s honor.
Authorities in Utah said an active investigation is underway, and a person of interest in the shooting is in custody. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the case.
