A Texas State University student has been expelled for allegedly mocking the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University last week.
University President Kelly Damphousse announced Tuesday morning that the man seen in a widely shared social media video mocking Kirk’s death is no longer enrolled at the school.
“The university has identified the student in the disturbing video from Monday’s event. I will not tolerate behavior that mocks, trivializes, or promotes violence on our campuses. It is antithetical to our TXST values,” Damphousse said. He added that the university will not release further information on individual student conduct cases.
The video, reposted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on X, shows a man with a backpack climbing the “Fighting Stallions” statue in the campus quad. From there, he tries to get the crowd’s attention while mocking Kirk’s death, even appearing to imitate how Kirk looked when he was shot in the neck.
As the student steps down from the statue, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “You’re going to get expelled, dude.”
Abbott called on Texas State to “expel this student immediately” and warned that mocking assassinations must carry consequences. “The conduct is not accepted at our schools,” he wrote.
Earlier Tuesday, Damphousse had already said he had “directed university officials to take immediate steps to identify the individual in the video.” “Behavior that trivializes or promotes violence is reprehensible and violates the values of Texas State. It will not be tolerated,” he stated.
The expulsion comes amid a wave of professionals nationwide losing their jobs over comments about Kirk’s death, including an MSNBC analyst and a Carolina Panthers PR employee. Many of those let go were merely commenting on Kirk’s divisive political views. The conservative activist’s death has sparked debates over free speech rights and political violence.
Many conservative activists on social media are now publicly exposing anyone who posts negative comments about Kirk, creating what critics call a chilling effect on free speech and a form of “cancel culture” that Kirk himself and many on the right have long criticized.
Although the motive of the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, remains unknown, GOP lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, have used Kirk’s death to inflame political divisions and blame left-wing organizations and figures.
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