Austin Peay State University fired a professor after he reshared a social media post reacting to the shooting death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

APSU announced in a late-night press release on Friday at 11:20 p.m. that the theatre professor Darren Michael has been fired.

“A faculty member of Austin Peay State University reshared a post on social media that was insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death,” said President Michael Licari.

President Licari also mentioned, “Such actions do not align with Austin Peay’s commitment to mutual respect and human dignity. The university deems these actions unacceptable and has terminated the faculty member.”

The university did not post or state particularly what was said in the professor’s posts. However, Twitter users and Facebook accounts shared a screenshot of a 2023 headline, “Charlie Kirk says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.” The headline was from an April 2023 article in Newsweek.

The incident has sparked discussion across social media, but APSU has made it clear that the decision you make reflects its stance on maintaining professional conduct and institutional values.