Hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a college in Utah on Wednesday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issued an order that all public building flags be flown half-staff the following days.
Kotek’s order lasts until sunset on Sunday, matching a federal proclamation by President Donald Trump.
“I offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Kirk’s family. This attack is inexcusable. Violence has absolutely no place in our democracy. America is better than this,” Kotek said in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, Kotek had already ordered all flags to be flown half-staff until sunset Thursday to mark the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
FILE - Charlie Kirk speaks during a town hall meeting on March 17, 2025, in Oconomowoc, Wis.
Jeffrey Phelps / AP
Kirk, 31, died after being shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University. The event was set to be the first stop on Kirk’s planned “American Comeback Tour.”
Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that aims to sway young people to the conservative movement and which had been considered integral to President Donald Trump’s re-election. A Turning Point USA spokesperson confirmed Kirk’s death Wednesday.
In addition to Kotek, several Oregon and Washington officials joined a chorus of lawmakers condemning Kirk’s killing.
U.S. senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Oregon House Republican Leader Christine Drazan all swiftly denounced the shooting. Drazan, a Republican from Canby, called the killing an assassination.
“Any extremist who has called for violent action against their political opponents should be ashamed of what they have brought on our country,” Drazan wrote in a statement. “Violence and hatred must end.”
The attack on Charlie Kirk is inexcusable. Violence has absolutely no place in our democracy. America is better than this.
— Governor Tina Kotek (@GovTinaKotek) September 10, 2025
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said on social media Wednesday afternoon that he condemned the killing “in the strongest terms.” U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, Oregon’s sole Republican in the House, added that he was praying for Kirk’s family.
“Charlie was a passionate voice and a leader for the conservative movement,” Bentz said in a statement.
Violence is never the answer. There is no place in our democracy for political violence, and I condemn the murder of Charlie Kirk in the strongest terms. My prayers are with his family.
— Governor Bob Ferguson (@GovBobFerguson) September 10, 2025
Early Friday morning, President Donald Trump announced on Fox News that authorities believe the suspect is in custody.
“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump announced in a live interview. He said a minister also involved with law enforcement turned the suspect in to authorities.
When asked Thursday if there was danger to the community, FBI officials said they believe the attack on Kirk was a targeted event.
The killing comes amid a spate of political violence in the U.S. Two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota state government were shot in June, with one dying alongside her husband. Trump also faced two assassination attempts while campaigning last summer.
Cecilia Garcia and Dawn Thomas react as they learn the news on social media of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist being shot at a college event in Utah, in Westminster, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.
Damian Dovarganes / AP
Jeff Helfrich, a Republican lawmaker from Hood River, called Kirk’s shooting an act of terrorism.
“He leaves behind a grieving wife and two children who no longer have a husband and father — all because a coward thought bullets were a way to win that conversation,” said Helfrich, a veteran and decorated retired police sergeant.
“I’ve seen what violence does to communities,” Helfrich added. “Violence isn’t debate — it’s surrender. It’s what happens when we forget we’re neighbors, not enemies.”
Turning Point USA has multiple chapters listed throughout the Northwest, some covering specific college campuses and others covering entire geographic regions. Representatives from those chapters directed comments to Turning Point USA’s national spokespeople.
Following confirmation of Kirk’s death Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum posted to social media: “Political violence has no place in this country. This is not how we settle our differences. I am praying for his family and loved ones.”
Nathan Soltz, head of the Democratic Party of Oregon, said in a statement that the killing shows an imperative to end gun violence in the U.S.
“No matter how abhorrent we may find someone’s views, and no matter how vehemently we may disagree with them, violence is simply not the way,” Soltz said.
OPB’s Bryce Dole contributed to this report.
