Photos: Charlie Kirk through the years

(KRON) — Charlie Kirk was fatally shot on a Utah college campus, in front of a large crowd, with a microphone in his hand. The conservative activist, who was a close ally of President Donald Trump, was 31 years old.

Kirk spent the past decade of his life “on the frontlines of America’s culture war,” according to his podcast bio. As a grassroots activist, he set out to mobilize hundreds of thousands of American college students with his “unapologetically conservative” and “freedom-loving” point of view.

Seconds before he was shot, Kirk was answering questions at Utah Valley University from an audience member about mass shootings, gun violence, and transgender Americans.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the audience member asked. Kirk answered, “Too many.”

A single shot rang out. Video from the scene showed his neck immediately began bleeding heavily. He was sitting under a tent emblazoned with “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong,” slogans for his nationwide college debate tours.

President Trump confirmed Kirk’s death and described him as “Great, and even Legendary. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”

In May, Kirk and anti-trans athlete activist Riley Gaines appeared at San Francisco State University for a “Prove Me Wrong” debate with students as part of Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour.”

Kirk and Gaines welcomed heated debates at SFSU on a wide range of topics, ranging from abortion, to immigration, to climate change, to transgender athletes competing in college sports.

KRON4 Reporter Rob Nesbitt covered the SFSU event, where nearby protesters were noisy but peaceful. Protesters were fenced-off from the San Francisco event, and they made their presence known by shouting through megaphones.

Kirk was 18 years old when he co-founded his youth organization Turning Point USA in Chicago in 2012. Four years later, his organization endorsed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016.

In 2018, Kirk was a featured speaker at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum in Dallas, Texas.

Kirk’s fan base and popularity grew dramatically through his nationally syndicated podcast and radio program, “The Charlie Kirk Show.” He also gained millions of followers on social media by posting videos of his debates on college campuses.

Kirk also served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr.. The duo appeared together for several public speaking events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.