The House floor erupted in shouting on Wednesday after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) held a moment of silence to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at an event at Utah Valley University.
Johnson told reporters before heading to the chamber that he would pause proceedings in Kirk’s memory. After the moment of silence, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) requested that a prayer be read, prompting Democrats to yell “no.”
The exchange escalated when Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) shouted at Democrats, “You f***ing own this.” Democrats fired back by pointing to a Colorado school shooting earlier in the day.
“Pass some gun laws,” one Democrat shouted.
Speaking to reporters later, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) echoed Luna’s frustration. “Democrats own what happened today,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) introduced a resolution that initially addressed the shooting before Kirk’s death was confirmed. He later changed the language to condemn the “horrific political assassination,” praising Kirk as a “faith-based conservative spokesman and thought leader.” Several Republicans signed on to the resolution.
Johnson condemned political violence when speaking with reporters before Kirk’s death was confirmed. “We need everyone who has a platform to say this loudly and clearly, we can settle disagreements and disputes in a civil manner, and political violence must be called out, and it has to stop,” he said.
Kirk, 31, co-founded Turning Point USA, a conservative group that has been influential in mobilizing young voters to the Republican Party and to support President Donald Trump.
Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, lost his life following a gunshot on Wednesday afternoon.
President Donald Trump confirmed the tragic news via a post on Truth Social.
“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. 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!” Trump wrote.
Video posted from the event appeared to show Kirk being shot as he spoke from under a white pop-up tent. After the shot, the crowd dispersed, with onlookers shouting, “Run, run, run!”
Support and calls for prayers poured in across social media, including from President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom tweeted.
The shooting occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m., according to a statement made by Ellen Treanor, Associate Vice President, Strategic Communication Management at Utah Valley University, to Fox News.
“We had a speaker, Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group, Turning Point USA, who was speaking on campus today at noon,” the statement said.
“At about 12:20 shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel,” Treanor said. “The campus is closed for the rest of the day and our campus police has a suspect and custody.”
Seconds before Charlie Kirk was shot, he was heard on video answering a question about transgender mass shooters.
Here’s a look at the exchange:
Audience member: “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?”
Kirk: “Too many.”
The same audience member went on say the number is five, and proceeded to ask if Kirk knows how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years.
Kirk: “Counting or not counting gang violence?”