National radio host and podcaster Charlie Kirk speaks at an April 9, 2024, rally he hosted in Omaha, Nebraska. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

Election officials from Louisiana are reacting to the death of ultra-conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot Wednesday afternoon during an event at a Utah university. 

Videos circulating on social media show Kirk seated under an open tent at an outdoor amphitheater venue on the Utah Valley University campus as he was fielding questions from a large crowd. The audience scattered after hearing a popping sound. Kirk appeared to recoil from an impact and began bleeding from his neck. Witnesses said he was answering a question about gang violence and shootings when he was shot.    

Police in Utah have said they have a person of interest in custody but did not indicate it was the shooting suspect.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called Kirk “a patriot in every sense of the word” in a social media post. The governor said he and first lady Sharon Landry were praying for Kirk, his wife Erika and their two children, along with the Turning Point USA organization that Kirk founded and led.

“It is important to recognize that the very idea of a representative republic is to allow for the free exchange of ideas that can be debated in a peaceful setting, so that we don’t have to fight it out in the street,” Landry said in a post on the platform X.

The governor also encouraged Kirk’s supporters to fly an American flag in his honor.

“He stood for the principles that made this country great: liberty, freedom, and prosperity, which are all of the things that the Left hates,” Landry added. 

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport, described Kirk as a “close friend and confidant” and said his death was “utterly devastating” in a statement.

“He will be sorely missed by so many,” Johnson said. “Every political leader must loudly and clearly decry this violence. Our prayers go out to his wife and young children. May he rest in peace.” 

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House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said in an X post that he was “sad and digusted” to learn of Kirk’s death.

“Political violence is NEVER acceptable,” Scalise wrote. “The perpetrator of this horrific act must be held accountable … It’s past time for the incendiary rhetoric to come to an end, and we must see universal condemnation of this gruesome act.”

Eight years ago, Scalise barely survived a politically motivated mass shooting at a Virginia park where he and other GOP lawmakers were practicing for the annual congressional baseball game. Shooter James Hodgkinson also wounded a Capitol security officer, a congressional aide and a lobbyist before being killed by return fire.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, called Kirk a “courageous conservative” and said “his senseless death makes me sick,” in an X post.

“His legacy will live on through every freedom-loving American who watched his show, listened to his speeches, or attended one of Turning Point USA’s events,” Kennedy wrote.

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U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, shared a brief prayer on Facebook and shared a post President Donald Trump made to his Truth Social platform that said “No one had or understood the Heart of the Youth in the United States better than Charlie.”

Without mentioning Kirk by name, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, offered his own prayer on social media: “May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ shield us, strengthen us, and forever defeat the evil that threatens our anointed Nation under God.”

In her own X post, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Start, asked for prayers for Kirk’s family “as they begin this unimaginable walk.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also said she was praying for Kirk. 

“The videos circulating are both shocking and disturbing, which seem entirely inadequate to describe this horrible event,” she said in a statement. “Political violence has no place in our society.” 

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Democratic officials from Louisiana also shared their reaction to Kirk’s death.

“Violence is never the answer — not in politics, not in life,” U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans said in an X post. “We can disagree without dehumanizing, and we can debate without destruction. My prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”

“The tragic death of Charlie Kirk is a reminder of the painful moment our country is living through,” U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields said on X. “No matter our political differences, violence is unacceptable and has no place at all in our democracy. My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk’s family, especially his wife and children, as they mourn this loss.”

The event where Kirk was fatally shot was typical of his many visits to college campuses where he fields questions from students, including those who challenge his conservative viewpoints.

The Turning Point USA chapter at Louisiana State University had planned to host Kirk for an Oct. 27 event on campus. In response to questions from The Reveille student newspaper, the LSU chapter provided a statement from its national office that confirmed Kirk’s death and asked for prayers for his family.

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Derek Babcock, executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party, praised Kirk as “a bold truth-teller, a courageous leader, and a patriot who never shied away from defending the values that built this nation.” He also called on younger party members to carry on Kirk’s legacy.

“The enemies of truth may have silenced his voice, but they cannot extinguish the fire he lit in your hearts,” Babcock said in a statement. “In this dark hour, I urge you to rise up, carry forward the torch of faith and freedom, and show this nation that Charlie Kirk’s legacy will not be buried with him. It will live on in you.”

This is a developing story.