Donald Trump awards Charlie Kirk 'Medal of Freedom' after close ally’s fatal shooting
Donald Trump has awarded Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour, after the late right-wing influencer was fatally shot at a campus event on Wednesday.
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Mr Kirk, 31, was discussing mass shootings and gun laws with a 3,000-strong audience of students at Utah Valley University when a bullet was fired into his neck just 20-minutes into the rally.
He was pronounced dead in hospital around an hour later after being taken away by car.
Announcing the award the day after his death, Mr Trump hailed the victim as a “giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” the president added in a tribute during the Pentagon Ceremony on the 24th anniversary of 9/11.
Mr Trump was a vocal supporter of Mr Kirk and made the official confirmation of his death last night.
Read more: Who is Charlie Kirk? Conservative influencer and Trump ally shot dead in Utah
He wrote in a Truth Social post: "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!"
Mr Kirk worked on Trump's 2016 Campaign, making friends with the president's children and he went on to be one of the youngest speakers at the 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC).
He acted as a youth advocacy arm for electing Conservative politicians in the US, particularly Trump.
The influencer was well known online with over 5 million followers on X, over 7 million on Tik Tok and over 8 million on Instagram.
The father-of-two was notorious for holding controversial views including opposing gay marriage, denying climate change, spreading COVID-19 misinformation and promoting the idea of electoral fraud in 2020.
His killer is still at large, but investigators appear to be closing in on the gunman after find the high-powered rilfle used to shoot and kill Mr Kirk.
The FBI found the weapon after tracking the suspect's movements - revealing he fled into a nearby neighbourhood.
Investigators have since discovered and are analysing a "footwear impression, a paw print and a forearm imprint", the FBI said.