PHOENIX—They came together, gripping American flags as tears traced silent paths down their faces. A soft glow from candles mingled with fresh flowers, all arranged beneath two banners bearing Charlie Kirk’s image and a prayer wishing him peace on his heavenly journey.
The conservative commentator was killed by an assassin’s bullet at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. Within hours, dozens of supporters gathered in Phoenix to honor his memory.
A line of yellow tape held the crowd at bay from a separate ceremony at Turning Point USA headquarters, where staff members bowed their heads in prayer for the organization’s founder.
Riley, 29, and her grandmother, Betty, were swept up in a wave of emotion, their voices rising together as they burst into a heartfelt rendition of Amazing Grace.
“We felt like breaking out singing, so we did,” Betty said. “Such a wonderful young man that loved his country and gave his life for it. All we can do is hope and pray that this will be a turning point for America and that his legacy can live on with that.”
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, died from a single gunshot wound to the neck while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, shortly after noon on Sept. 10.
By midnight, his killer was still at large.
Turning Point USA sent an email in the afternoon to share the news that Kirk had passed away on Sept. 10.
“It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that Charles James Kirk has been murdered by a gunshot that took place during Turning Point USA’s ‘The American Comeback Tour’ campus event at Utah Valley University earlier today,” the message read.
“Of course, it was political,” Riley said of Kirk’s murder. “That’s what it comes down to.”
Riley said she was at work when news of the shooting in Utah came in the form of a grim video of Kirk’s assassination.
“I’m a medical assistant, and my nurse practitioner came out and showed me the video,” Riley told The Epoch Times.
Her first instinct was to spring up, but her knees trembled beneath her, threatening to buckle under the weight of the news.
“I just put my hand over my face and went out and called all the people I love to let them know immediately in case they hadn’t heard,” Riley said.
For years, she had followed Kirk, inspired by his message of faith and freedom. His bold voice and unwavering commitment to reason always resonated with her, she said.
Now, she feels as if she has lost more than a political ally; in her heart, she has lost a true friend.
“That’s what it feels like,” Riley said.
The reality is that his message angered his opponents, and “he’s had a target on his back for a long time,” she added.
Riley shudders as she faces the unnerving truth that political violence in the United States has reached a new and dangerous height.
“Oh yeah, we were just in Fry’s [supermarket] getting flowers. We had our [MAGA] hats on, and I was scared to wear my hat,” Riley said.
Among those gathered for the evening vigil, confusion and speculation swirled around the motive for Kirk’s killing.
Yet for Melody, the answer was simple: “somebody with evil in their heart.”
“Somebody who doesn’t fear the Lord. Somebody who has done horrible things,” added her daughter, Katy, who attends a private Catholic high school in Phoenix.
“I’m pretty sure the only person who can forgive them is God, I won’t,“ Katy said. ”I won’t forgive them because they did an unspeakable thing to a person who has done nothing wrong in my eyes.”
John, a Mesa resident, sees Kirk as a martyr for his Christian faith. He believes Kirk’s death will only strengthen the resolve of his organization and its supporters.
“He knew that people wanted to take his life, yet he still went out there fearlessly, and they killed him,” John said.
He started following Kirk’s message in 2016, around the time of President Donald Trump’s first campaign.
Although he didn’t agree with Kirk on everything, he admired how Kirk was willing to talk with anyone, no matter their political views.
He believed that sooner or later, the disagreements over Kirk’s conservative views were bound to turn violent.
“People had developed an image of him on the Internet, and he was targeted,“ John told The Epoch Times. ”People just hated on him.”
Stephen, who lives in Phoenix, sees a likeness in Kirk’s death with the sacrifices of the Founding Fathers.
“Thomas Jefferson once said that the tree of liberty is only fed by the blood of our patriots,” Stephen said. “Unfortunately, Charlie paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“I just pray that his sacrifice will ignite the flames of liberty in all of us, and that it will give us the courage that he had to stand up against this evil.”
Kirk angered some people, Stephen said, “not because he was radical, not because he was an agitator.”
“I’ve listened to a lot of political discourse on both sides of the equation, both sides of the line,” he told The Epoch Times. “Charlie never struck me as someone who would intentionally agitate individuals,”
“I held him in high regard because he encouraged civil political discourse, which obviously in this climate is very much needed.”
Kirk had the power to inspire, Stephen said, but also to unsettle his adversaries. He felt it was the strength of Kirk’s convictions, logic, and ideals that stirred such strong reactions, not extremism.
“Charlie knew the risks every single day getting up front in public,” he said.
By Allan Stein
