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The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has once again thrust the issue of political violence in the United States into the spotlight.
Authorities say the 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson, is in custody, but the investigation remains in its early stages. According to reports, investigators are also examining whether others may have played a role in the attack.
Kirk’s death has unsettled an already polarized political climate, raising questions about security lapses at public events and the trajectory of political hostility in the country.
To better understand these developments, Türkiye Today spoke with Bobby Chacon, a retired FBI special agent and veteran security consultant.
Chacon argues that the rise in political violence is the result of several intersecting trends.
“I think there are a few reasons why political violence, including high-profile attacks, seems to be increasing in the United States,” Chacon said.
“Our politicians, who feel compelled to demonize their rivals at all costs, spread misinformation with the help of the internet. At the same time, younger generations—who have not been raised with the ability to tolerate opposing views—are having their emotions inflamed. That combination is deadly.”
According to him, the abandonment of compromise in American politics has had profound consequences.
“Politicians have embraced the strategy of portraying their rivals as evil enemies destroying our society,” he noted.
“This atmosphere generates anger and frustration, and young people who lack the skills to cope with opposing views see silencing those voices as their only option. Whether that means shutting them down on social media or, as we saw this week, through violent means, the pattern is extremely worrying.”
The killing has also reignited questions about whether high-profile political events in the US suffer from systemic security gaps.
“In any free society, security risks are inevitable,” Chacon explained. “In American politics, there’s a tradition of going out and meeting people in their own spaces—at cafes, in restaurants, and in open forums. Shaking hands and engaging directly with citizens reflects the idea that politicians should be part of the public.”
He stressed that Kirk embodied this tradition, particularly through his campus events.
“Charlie Kirk was trying to bring back a tradition of respectful debate with people of different views,” Chacon said.
“He welcomed questions and discussions. He never shut down others or dismissed their voices. He believed strongly in freedom of expression, which is the foundation of our democracy. The attempt to silence him through violence is nothing less than a threat to democracy itself.”
The incident comes amid a broader surge in political violence across the U.S.
Over the past five years, at least five assassinations or attempted killings of political figures have been recorded, including two against former President Donald Trump.
Experts warn that this level of politically motivated violence has not been seen since the 1960s.
Chacon emphasized that unless political culture changes, such attacks could become an entrenched feature of American public life.
Bobby Chacon is a retired FBI special agent, attorney, and security consultant. He joined the FBI in 1987 after graduating from law school, initially investigating organized crime and violent gangs in New York.
In 1999, he became the FBI’s first full-time forensic diver, working on high-profile cases such as the TWA 800 disaster. In 2006, he participated in underwater search operations in Iraq.
Chacon has since become a regular media commentator on security and criminal investigations, contributing to television series including It Takes A Killer, Deep Undercover, Murderous Affairs and I Married A Murderer.
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