Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and pronounced dead Sept. 10 at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU).

Videos of Kirk’s graphic death engulfed the internet and appeared on almost everyone’s explore pages on all different forms of social media, primarily on TikTok. This came with a lot of debate regarding the release of graphic images and videos from events like these and their similar symptoms with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Kirk’s event was a part of his “America Comeback Tour,” where he would visit college campuses around the United States to answer questions, debate college students and professors and more. His popularity quickly grew on social media as many well-known clips of his debates have circulated the internet. His activism drew large crowds to listen to him speak on his ideals.

The individual who has been taken into custody for the shooting of Kirk is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. Originally from Utah himself, Robinson was said to have attended University of Utah for one semester in 2021 but seemed to have dropped out. He was turned in to the authorities by a family member who had received news from a family friend. 

Bullet casings were found on the scene with many different messages such as “Hey Fascist, Catch;” lyrics from an Italian anti-Fascist song, by the name of  “Bella Ciao;” and other seemingly strange phrases.

Robinson shot and killed Kirk from around 520 feet away, on the roof of a building on UVU’s campus. Many have come to social media to express their suspicions as to how experienced and exact 22-year-old Robinson was. In addition, there were many conspiracies surrounding the situation as a whole. 

This event caused an intense wave of reactions on social media as right-leaning, left-leaning and middle voters came to the internet to express their opinions. President Donald Trump was one of the first people to announce Kirk’s death and commemorate his life as a close colleague and friend. Other politicians like President Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and others paid their respects and condemned his death on social media platforms.

Kirk’s memorial has been another major talking point, considering that it was attended by over 90,000 people including Trump himself . Other major people in the administration of the president, such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, were in attendance as well.

Discourse around Kirk’s death has continued to circulate the media and internet, which has sparked debate everywhere.