Charlie Kirk died from a single shot to the neck at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, at 12:20 p.m. MST. He was speaking at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event that afternoon. His wife and two kids were watching.
He was 31.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong,” according to PBS News.
Stunned spectators can be heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away. The Associated Press confirmed the videos were taken at the Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley campus.
Kirk always has a security team, but it wasn’t enough to save him. Authorities said the shooting was a "targeted attack" and a "political assassination."
The police chief at Utah Valley told The New York Times that roughly 3,000 people were attending Kirk’s event, and the university’s police department had six officers on his detail.
Kirk was shot because he made it his life mission to foster open dialogue with college students across the country. Anyone, of any belief system, could approach the microphone and debate any topic of their choice.
In this case, a student asked about gun shootings right before Kirk was shot in the neck.
TPUSA, an organization that Kirk founded, had a chapter established at Miami University this past spring. The first meeting was held on Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. I walked from my dorm to the Farmer School of Business with hope in each step.
Our TPUSA employee, Edina Kovacs, mentioned the possibility of bringing Kirk to our campus next semester. It felt encouraging to see other people in the room who shared my beliefs in a safe space. I had been waiting for this since I was a first-year student. I’m a junior.
The irony of his assassination under the guise of free speech is that a lot of conservatives – myself included – are now being more vocal about our beliefs and support of Kirk online. People I follow on Instagram were posting tributes to his life on their stories.
For people who have been following Kirk’s journey and share many of his views, he made conservatives brave enough not to be ashamed of who we are, no matter where we are.
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Charlie was a voice for the voiceless, and now he’ll never be able to speak for himself again. The courage he instilled in young conservatives, however, will live on.
Hours before the assassination, my friend Jake Seyer and I were talking about what it means to die at the hands of another. Seyer told me his Bible study said it was a ticket into heaven early. We said this jokingly, without any prior knowledge of what was to come.
I didn’t think twice about it. Now, that conversation replays in my mind on a loop.
“[Kirk] represented what a lot of us felt but were afraid to say publicly,” said Ruslan KD, a Christian Armenian YouTuber on a livestream.
I haven’t always felt brave enough to share my political beliefs — and frankly, neither do a lot of other conservatives on this campus. Watching Kirk do what he did gave me the courage to be who I am: honest, patriotic and a follower of Christ.
His death shed light on one of the reasons why conservatives on campus keep their politics on the down low – not only for the idea of being canceled or discriminated against, but for the potential of getting killed.
Kirk stood firm in his convictions and gave students across the country the chance to share their own beliefs as well. Liberal, conservative or center – everyone was welcome to debate, even those who hated Kirk.
Kirk has inspired many young people: I am one of them.
I am ready to pick up the torch and carry it with my friends.
He dedicated his life to a cause bigger than himself. That is how humans find fulfillment in this life, and Kirk embodied that. Kirk accepted the risks that came with the role of a public figure for the greater good of our country.
Josie Zimmerman is a junior studying journalism and art therapy. She is involved with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ), Bridges International and MU Kababayan, and enjoys drawing and journaling in her free time.
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