From John F Kennedy to Charlie Kirk, America's brush with political violence

Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a university in Utah on Wednesday, becoming the latest in a long string of victims of US political violence.

Below, AFP looks back on some prominent targets.

Melissa Hortman (2025)

Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman was fatally shot along with her husband in June by a gunman who authorities say had a manifesto and a list of other lawmakers and potential targets in his car.

Donald Trump (2024)

President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman fired several shots, killing a rallygoer and lightly wounding the president in the ear.

A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

Steve Scalise (2017)

Representative Steve Scalise was shot by a gunman who was targeting Republican lawmakers during practice for a politician’s charity baseball game.

Gabrielle Giffords (2011)

Representative Gabby Giffords survived a shooting to the head that left six people dead, including a US federal judge and a member of the congresswoman’s staff. She is now a prominent advocate for the prevention of gun violence.

Ronald Reagan (1981)

President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously wounded as he left an event at the Hilton hotel in Washington. The attacker was John Hinckley Jr., who was granted unconditional release in 2022.

Reagan spent twelve days in the hospital. The incident boosted his popularity, as he displayed humour and resilience during his recovery.

Harvey Milk (1978)

Gay rights icon and San Francisco politician Harvey Milk was shot dead along with Mayor George Moscone by a disgruntled former city supervisor.

One of the first openly gay politicians in America, Milk was elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, where he was instrumental in passing laws banning discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

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George Wallace (1972)

While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Wallace was shot four times and paralysed for life at a shopping mall in Laurel, Maryland.

The assassination attempt on Wallace, who was known for his segregationist views and populist appeal, highlighted tensions in the Vietnam War era.

Robert F Kennedy (1968)

President John F Kennedy’s brother Robert, who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was shot and killed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian-born Jordanian, was convicted of the murder and is serving a life sentence in a prison in California.

Martin Luther King (1968)

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder and died in prison in 1998, but King’s children have expressed doubts that he was the assassin.

Malcolm X (1965)

Malcolm X, an icon of the civil rights movement, was struck down in a hail of bullets in New York.

He was gunned down at the height of his influence and within months of the passage of federal legislation that effectively abolished racial segregation.

John F. Kennedy (1963)

Riding in his motorcade with his wife, Jackie, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The Warren Commission investigating the assassination concluded that Oswald, a former Marine who had lived in the Soviet Union, had acted alone.