COLUMBIA — A South Carolina legislator wants to hear from state universities about safety protocols for campus events following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University this week.
Representatives from state law enforcement, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, the College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina University will speak to members of the state House higher education subcommittee on Tuesday. The state’s historically Black colleges and universities also have been invited.
“I just want to make sure our colleges are ready and as prepared as we can be for something that’s unimaginable,” the subcommittee’s chairman, GOP Rep. Tim McGinnis of Myrtle Beach, told the SC Daily Gazette on Thursday.
Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was 18 to combat progressive politics, fueled a youth movement with chapters at colleges and high schools nationwide, including many in South Carolina. He was speaking at the college in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday as part of his “American Comeback” tour debating with students on college campuses.
At about 12:20 p.m., Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to the crowd of about 3,000 people, Utah Valley University police have said. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
University Police Chief Jeff Long said six officers staffed the outdoor event, along with some “plain clothes” officers in the crowd.
“We train for these things,” Long told reporters Wednesday. “You try to get your bases covered, and unfortunately today we didn’t.”
The manhunt for the shooter continued Thursday, when released surveillance video showed the suspected killer jumping off a roof.
It appeared Friday morning a suspect had been arrested: “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” President Donald Trump told Fox News ahead of a called news conference.
Kirk held one of his signature “prove me wrong” events at USC on April 7, when hundreds of students gathered outside the Russell House student center — despite the rain — for the chance to debate him and hear his answers.
The campus also has played host to other controversial speakers, including Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes and podcast host Myron Gaines, criticized for his misogynistic views.
Each of those events drew protests but no reports of violence on the USC campus.
But in light of Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday, plus a series of unrelated, unspecified threats that went out to HBCUs across the Southeast on Thursday, McGinnis said he wanted to check in with colleges in the state to hear any concerns or security needs they may have.
“Until now it hasn’t really come up and now it has,” he said.
With two college-age kids of his own, McGinnis said it’s important to maintain the free flow of ideas and speech on college campuses while also keeping people safe from harm.
“It doesn’t matter who is speaking about what. I just want everybody to feel safe on our college campuses,” McGinnis said.
SC State heightens security amid threats to HBCUs across the Southeast
South Carolina State University put added security measures in place Thursday in response to unspecified threats made to historically Black colleges across the Southeast.
SC State has not received any direct threats, spokesman Sam Watson said, but has heightened security as a precaution. Security personnel stationed at campus entrances are checking photo IDs of students, employees and visitors before allowing people to enter.
Watson called this “standard operating procedure” for the school any time there is a potential safety risk.
South Carolina’s only public historically Black university, located in Orangeburg, is instructing students and staff to report any suspicious activity to the campus Public Safety office at 803-536-7188.
In other states, some schools are locking down their campuses and cancelling classes in response to threats.
Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana went on lockdown Thursday morning, citing “a potential threat to campus safety,” according to the Louisiana Illuminator, a States Newsroom affiliate. The school asked members of the public not to enter campus until further notice.
Lockdowns also have been confirmed at other HBCUs including:
Claflin University, Allen University and Benedict College did not immediately respond to messages from the SC Daily Gazette.
Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining the SC Daily Gazette, she was a business reporter for The Post and Courier.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
“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.”
BY: ASHLEY MURRAY - SEPTEMBER 11, 2025 5:29 PM
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump honored slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as he remembered the victims of Sept. 11 during a ceremony Thursday in Virginia, and announced he would posthumously award the popular figure the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kirk, the late co-founder and head of the political advocacy organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking on a college campus in Utah.
Trump described the attack as a “heinous assassination” and told a crowd gathered at the Pentagon that Kirk, 31, was “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,” Trump said.
Trump said the ceremony to posthumously award Kirk the highest civilian honor has not yet been scheduled but that he expects “a very big crowd.”
In recalling the deadliest attack on the United States, Trump said the “entire world came crashing down” for loved ones of the 2,977 victims.
“In the quarter of a century since those acts of mass murder, 9/11 family members have felt the weight of missed birthdays and empty bedrooms, journals left unfinished and dreams left unfulfilled,” Trump said. “To every member that still feels a void every day of your lives, the First Lady and I unite with you in sorrow and today, as one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget September 11, 2001.”
The president delivered remarks following Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who praised Kirk as a “good and faithful servant.”
Hegseth said when faced with the tragic memory of 9/11 he finds hope in the “future of our great nation,” and invoked Kirk.
“The young soldiers who take the oath give me hope. The young cops who wear the badge give me hope. The young firefighters who answer the call give me hope. The young agents who patrol our border give me hope. The life, example, and even death of Christ-follower and American patriot Charlie Kirk give me hope, sheer courage, no matter the arena,” Hegseth said.
Vance in Utah
Vice President JD Vance, who had been scheduled to attend the 24th observance of 9/11 at Ground Zero in New York City, changed his travel plans to visit with Kirk’s family in Utah and fly with his casket to Arizona on Air Force Two, according to multiple media reports.
Trump did not cancel a scheduled visit to a New York Yankees game Thursday night as part of a 9/11 commemoration.
Vance issued a lengthy statement on social media Wednesday night sharing the story of his friendship with Kirk, including an acknowledgement they were both skeptical of Trump in 2016 before joining the president’s political agenda.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government,” Vance wrote.
Kirk’s advocacy organization worked with Trump’s 2024 campaign to mobilize young voters in the November election.
On Wednesday, Kirk was on the first of a 15-stop “American Comeback Tour” that was scheduled next week for events at Colorado State University.
The zealous political figure was known for his outreach and events on college campuses. According to Turning Point USA, the organization has started over 1,000 chapters in high schools and 800 on college campuses across the U.S.
Political violence
Kirk’s killing is the latest in a string of politically motivated violence in recent years.
A man fatally shot former Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband in June. The alleged gunman, Vance Boelter, also shot and injured Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. Boelter had in his possession several weapons and a list of several Minnesota and federal lawmakers, including some of their home addresses, according to authorities.
During last year’s presidential campaign, a 20-year-old gunman attempted to assassinate Trump during an event in Pennsylvania. Just over two months later, another man attempted to shoot Trump at his golf course in Florida.
In 2022, a man wielding a hammer and zip ties broke into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and fractured the skull of Paul Pelosi, the Democratic leader’s husband.
On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of people stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. At least seven people died during or shortly after the attack and approximately 140 police officers were injured by the rioters.
Ashley Murray covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include domestic policy and appropriations.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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