Charlie Kirk assassination sparks angry outburst by NFL stars Lamar Jackson, Harrison Butker and Jaxson Dart
Three high-profile NFL stars have expressed their anger at the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah on Wednesday.
The conservative commentator, 31, died after being shot in the neck while he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University.
Father-of-two Kirk was hit by a single bullet while speaking to a crowd at the public university in Orem. He collapsed immediately after being hit by the gunfire and was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Kirk’s killer has now been arrested following a major manhunt by the FBI and Utah police.
New York Giants quarterback Jackson Dart, who was born in the Utah city of Kaysville, said he is disgusted after watching a viral clip of the terrifying moment. He took to social media to champion Kirk as someone who ‘did great things for our country’.
The Giants rookie wrote on his Instagram story alongside a video of the shooting, which he has since deleted: ‘This is some bull s*** man!!! Absolutely sickening!!!’
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is ‘sickened’ by the shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah
Dart, who was born in the Utah city of Kaysville, took to social media to express his anger
The Giants rookie fumed over the ‘sickening’ attack in a now-deleted post on Instagram
‘Praying for him and his family,’ he continued along with a heartbroken emoji after posting a photo of Kirk holding one of his children. ‘Charlie did great things for our country!! Political Violence NEEDS TO STOP!!
‘Pray for our country man. This is disgusting and Sad!!!’
Dart then shared a post from Team Trump titled ‘Pray for Charlie Kirk’ and commented alongside it: ‘May God watch over him and his family!’
President Trump led prayers for Kirk, who shares two young children with wife Erika Frantzve, after he appeared to be severely wounded at the Q&A event.
‘We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!’ Trump said on Truth Social.
‘Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,’ Vice President JD Vance added on X.
Other sports figures have spoken out on the devastating scenes in Utah, including former NFL linebacker and podcast host Will Compton.
‘This Charlie Kirk news is insane and incredibly sad,’ Compton wrote on X. ‘Seeing the family photos with his wife and kids breaks my heart and I’m praying for a miracle that he makes it’.
He then added about the disturbing footage circulating online: ‘I’d advise to not watch the close up video’.
He also shared a photo of Kirk with one of his children and heaped praise on the ‘great things’ he has done for America
The 31-year-old is married and shares two young children with wife Erika Frantzve (pictured)
Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy also posted: ‘Absolutely disgusting and disturbing video from Charlie Kirk shooting today. Hoping for the best for him and his family. Anybody who is happy about this is a disgusting human.’
Footage from the event captures spectators screaming as gunshots are fired, with clips circulating appearing to show Kirk was shot in the neck.
Someone is in custody after the shooting, according to an alert sent to students.
Kirk published a post on X just minutes before reports of the shooting emerged.
‘WE. ARE. SO. BACK,’ Kirk wrote at 2.23pm EST. ‘Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.’
