Co-founder of Turning Point USA and conservative activist Charlie Kirk was on Wednesday, 10 September, while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem.
Kirk, 31, who was also an outspoken advocate for the Gospel, was at the institution for what was planned to be the first of several campus visits across the United States during the fall semester.
The series of stops was billed as “The American Comeback Tour ft. Charlie Kirk.” He was scheduled to appear at some 14 other events in the coming months.
Shortly after, President Donald Trump announced the death of the activist.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife, Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The following day, Thursday, while speaking at a memorial service for the September 11 terror attacks, the president said Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States. Notable recipients include Mother Teresa, Margaret Thatcher, Rosa Parks, Bob Dylan, Tiger Woods, and Walt Disney.
President Trump described Kirk, who was his staunch supporter, as a “giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people”.
“Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children, fantastic people they are.
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” he said.
In his tribute, Vice President J.D. Vance released a statement, saying, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”
Meanwhile, soon after Kirk’s shooting, the UVU has announced the closure of the campus and cancelled all classes.
“UVU campus is closed. Classes cancelled. Those on campus, secure in place until police officers can escort you safely off campus. We ask for your patience throughout this process. We are providing updates as best as possible. This is an ongoing and unfolding event,” the institution said.
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and two young children (a son and a daughter). He has variously been described as “far-right”, “right-wing”, and as “America’s last moderate”. He was generally opposed to immigration and abortion and was skeptical of pro-LGBT ideology.
Widow speaks, pays tribute
Erika, the widow of the slain Kirk, has reacted to the death of her activist husband, saying she wants him to be remembered as a “martyr” and a man of faith.
The mother of two said this in her first public statement since the death of her husband on Wednesday.
“Charlie will stand at his Saviour’s side wearing the glorious crown of a martyr,” she said, adding that he “wanted to be remembered for his courage and for his faith,” Erika said in her husband’s podcast studio.
She described Charlie as a man who loved his life and his country, America.
“He loved nature, which helped him always bring him closer to God. He loved the Chicago Cubs and, my goodness, did he love the Oregon Ducks.
“Most of all, Charlie loved his children, and he loved me with all of his heart, and I knew that every day,” she said.
Erika expressed gratitude to President Trump, VP Vance, and wife, Usha Vance, for their support following Charlie’s death.
She vowed to continue her husband’s work at Turning Point USA, saying that its upcoming annual conference and ‘The American Comeback Tour’ would go ahead as planned.
“There will be even more tours in the years to come,” she said.
Suspect found, arraigned
Meanwhile, authorities have named 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson as a suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Reports said Robinson was persuaded to turn himself in after confessing to his father and a family friend who was a gospel minister.
It was confirmed that anti-fascist slogans were etched on two unused bullet casings found after the shooting.
Tyler was charged on Tuesday, 16 September, at the Fourth Judicial District Court of Utah County, Utah, with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, tampering with a witness, and violent offense committed in the presence of a child.
Court documents said his mother told investigators that over the past year or so, Tyler, who grew up in a Republican family, “started to lean more to the left — becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.”
He was also allegedly dating his roommate, “a biological male who was transitioning genders.” The documents state that the suspect and his father have “very different political views.”
The trans-identified roommate, identified as 22-year-old Lance Twiggs, directed investigators to a note Tyler left him that he found after the shooting occurred.
“I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it,” the suspect reportedly said in the note.
When he (Twiggs) expressed shock in a text message to Tyler, he (Tyler) responded that police “grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing.”
“I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down,” Tyler wrote. “It’s quiet, almost enough to get out, but there’s one vehicle lingering,” he added.
He also said he had “had enough of his hatred,” stressing, “Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Tyler allegedly texted his roommate. “If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on.”
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said he would press for the death penalty against Tyler.
Kirk’s faith in Christ
In a video monitored by The Christian, Kirk, in a question-and-answer session at a recent event, spoke glowingly about his faith in Jesus.
Are you a Christian?
Very, very much so.
Why is that exactly?
Jesus saved my life. I am a sinner, and I gave my life to Christ. That is the important decision I ever made.
Do you believe the Bible is real?
Yes, I believe the Bible is true and real.
Why is that?
Well, I could give you a technical answer. There is never even an archaeological discovery that has contradicted the truth of the Bible, and then, of course, the wisdom. There is not a truth of the Bible that if you apply it to your life, your life does not improve dramatically. And then finally, we have the most accurate and transparent, historically robust account that one can have of the most important figure ever to live in the history of the world, Jesus of Nazareth, and the resurrection is the pinpoint of my belief that Jesus did rise from the grave so that we may live.
What makes Christian mythology real?
So, that is not mythology, but that is theology. If Genesis 1:1 and the resurrection are true, anything in the Bible is possible. You are looking at the greatest miracle. The greatest miracle is the miracle of creation and the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. How do you know that Jesus rose from the dead? Well, show me another historical piece of a story where so many people willingly died a brutal death for a lie. Every single person around him had everything to lose, and yet they went to the absolute death from Paul to Peter to the half-brother of James, saying that Jesus is Lord. Jesus rose from the dead, not to mention if you were going to fake a story, you would not use female witnesses in the ancient world. In the Scripture, it is said that the women were the first ones to see Jesus Christ. If you were going to fake a story, you would never do that.