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On Wednesday, political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a speaking engagement in Utah.
The popular podcast host and founder of Turning Point USA was just 31 years old.
Kirk was outspoken in his support of Donald Trump, and now the president has announced that he will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump pays tribute to fallen supporter
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said in a speech outside the Pentagon.
Trump was the first to confirm the news of Kirk’s passing after he was shot yesterday afternoon.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding:
“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!”
The hunt for Charlie Kirk’s shooter continues
Two men were taken into custody immediately after the shooting, but the FBI has since announced that both persons of interest have been released from custody.
Now, a manhunt for the killer is underway as Americans try to make sense of yet another act of political violence.
The Kirk shooting comes after Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were gunned down in their home.
Police have offered few updates with regard to the hunt for Kirk’s assassin as of Thursday afternoon.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
