The website Jezebel has released a statement after paying witches to put a curse on conservative activist Charlie Kirk - just two days before he was shot and killed Wednesday at a Utah college event.

An article published on September 8 was titled 'We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.'

As news trickled in of Kirk's assassination on Wednesday, the left-leaning website issued a statement clarifying the timing of the post.

'This story was published on September 8,' the website said in the statement following the death of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters.

The outlet continued:  'Jezebel condemned the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms.

'We do not endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind.' 

In the ill-timed first-person narrative, the author mused on the charms of being able to purchase a 'curse as easily as I can buy a phone charger.'

The author explained in detail the different services provided on Etsy in terms of witchcraft.

'You can find a spell for just about anything,' The author wrote. 'Don't want it to rain on your wedding day? There's a spell for that.

'Want the man who cheated on you to develop an incurable rash? Or premature balding? The Etsy coven has you covered.'

The author subsequently tagged Kirk as one of the 'downsides' of the Internet, citing his politics.

'Maybe it's his obsession with telling women what to do or his aggressively large head, but the far-right podcaster's presence is more irritating than most,' the author said.

The author of the piece said that there was a clear convergence between witchcraft and politics amid the times of political tribalism.

'It's not uncommon for [witches] to channel their energy toward thwarting Republicans (there's even a subreddit devoted to casting nightly hexes on Trump).'

The author posed the question, 'Are you interested in punishing Kirk for the years of regressive rhetoric he's shouted at America's youth and anyone within earshot?

'Here at Jezebel, we're about to find out if there's a spell for that.'

In describing Kirk, the author said that he 'debates college kids for sport, pops up on Fox News, and founded the right-wing conspiracy theory factory Turning Point USA.'

The author went on to decry Kirk's stated politics, specifically citing his takes on gender and reproductive issues.

'Throughout history, society has branded bold and assertive women as witches to silence them,' the author said. 'Since Kirk already assumes every liberal, college-educated woman is a feminist witch hellbent on destroying civilization—even recently declaring that the "Jezebel spirit has just infected an entire generation of young ladies" (shoutout!) - we're reclaiming it. 

'If Kirk wants a villain, I'm more than happy to be the hag of his nightmares.'

The author conceded a moral 'gray area' in cursing someone they never met, adding, 'I want to make it clear, I'm not calling on dark forces to cause him harm.'

The author cited a number of small inconveniences they hope Kirk would experience such as 'an inexplicable zit;' malfunctioning broadcasting equipment and ill fitting apparel.

The author said they hoped 'to ruin his day with the collective feminist power of the Etsy coven would be my life's greatest joy.'

No suspect was in custody late Wednesday, though authorities were searching for a new person of interest, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the situation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Two people were detained earlier in the day but neither was determined to have had any connection to the shooting and both have been released, Utah public safety officials said.

Authorities did not immediately identify a motive but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum.

The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.

Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans  The American Comeback and Prove Me Wrong. 

A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away. 

The Associated Press was able to confirm the videos were taken at Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley University campus.

Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.

'Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?' the person asked. Kirk responded, 'Too many.'

The questioner followed up: 'Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?'

'Counting or not counting gang violence?' Kirk said.

Then a single shot rang out. The shooter, who Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away to the courtyard where the event took place.

Some 3,000 people were in attendance, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety, which also said the university police department had six officers working the event along with Kirk's own security detail.

The death was announced on social media by Trump, who praised the 31-year-old Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, as 'Great, and even Legendary.' 

Later Wednesday, he released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a 'martyr for truth and freedom' and blamed the rhetoric of the 'radical left' for the killing.

Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated and remained closed. Classes were canceled until further notice. Those still on campus were asked to stay in place until police officers could safely escort them off campus. 

Armed officers walked around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for information on the shooter.

Officers were seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people to see if they recognized a person of interest.

The event, billed as the first stop on Kirk's 'The American Comeback Tour,' had generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. 

The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its 'commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.'

Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit was sparking controversy. He wrote, 'What´s going on in Utah?'