Authorities probing the September 10 assassination of activist Charlie Kirk are reviewing online activity and several left-leaning groups in Utah after at least one organization removed its social-media presence in the immediate aftermath of the killing, sources say.
Among the organizations under review is Armed Queers Salt Lake City (Armed Queers SLC), a Utah-based group that has described itself publicly as training and organizing LGBTQ+ people to defend their communities.
According to archived materials and reporting, the group promoted events in 2023 that featured imagery and rhetoric aligned with radical protest and self-defense themes; a flyer for a September 2023 lecture at the University of Utah included graphic elements such as a rainbow flag, a hammer-and-sickle motif and imagery of ammunition.
In a past interview, a group representative said the organization’s activism was grounded in opposition to racism, transphobia and capitalism and accepted personal risk in service of that mission.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation told investigators that Armed Queers SLC took down at least one social media account on the day of Kirk’s death.
Law-enforcement officials are reviewing whether any individuals or networks connected to the group — or to other online communities, including gaming platforms and social pages — had prior knowledge of or provided material support for the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson.
Federal and state authorities are assisting local investigators in those inquiries.
Investigators have also collected and catalogued a number of social-media posts and accounts that appear to reference Kirk in the days immediately preceding the shooting.
Several of those posts have since been deleted or made private, and investigators are attempting to verify the provenance and authenticity of archived screenshots and reposts being circulated online.
Law-enforcement sources caution that while some social-media material appears ominous, much of it remains unverified and may reflect hyperbolic or copy-and-paste commentary rather than credible threats or direct knowledge of criminal intent.
The probe is also examining potential personal motives.
Hellbound and Down 