Despite chilly and rainy weather, almost 200 Wasatch County locals gathered in Heber City Park Saturday evening. They were there to honor Charlie Kirk, a podcaster and the co-founder of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated during an outdoor event Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.
The crowd included people of all ages, some holding American flags, others wearing Make America Great Again hats, a signature of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Before lighting candles, attendees took turns to speak about what Kirk meant to them. The short speeches evoked cheers as some spoke about continuing Kirk’s legacy and devotion to God, and tears as some talked about Kirk’s death. Many also included bible verses and prayers.
Sharlay Bonner helped organize the event. She said before Kirk’s death, she couldn’t understand how people could be so heartbroken by the losses of public figures, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. But now, she understands.
“I was devastated, and I honestly think because we are all one in the body of Christ, and so we all did lose a brother when we lost Charlie, we all did lose a brother when we lost Martin Luther King. These are people who stood up for what they believe in, and then they're persecuted for it, and it's got to stop.”
Bonner and many vigil attendees advocated for healthy discourse where people can disagree with each other but still love each other.
Jerry Owens said he was also devastated to hear of Kirk’s loss. He said his heart breaks for Kirk’s family — he’s survived by his wife and two small children — but also for the suspected shooter.
“His life is over, and he's on the dark side. I mean, he's going to go to the grave doing a terrible thing. And it breaks my heart for him and his parents and grandma and grandpa,” he said. “There's a whole circle of hurt people.”
Ian Johnson said Kirk wasn’t a perfect person, as nobody is, but he attended the vigil to honor Kirk’s ideals of free speech and breaching political barriers.
Johnson said he can also understand why some didn’t like Kirk. He has friends who said Kirk espoused hateful speech to grow political division in the U.S.
“They've explained that to me, some more calmly than others, and I understand where they're coming from,” he said. “Especially where so many of his viewpoints were rooted in his faith and his religion.”
But, Johnson said, differing viewpoints don’t make Kirk’s death OK and he said he luckily hasn’t heard many people say Kirk’s death was deserved.
Kirk’s visit to the university was the first stop on his fall “American Comeback Tour,” in which attendees are invited to debate him at a "Prove Me Wrong" table in a public setting. Kirk was responding to a question about gun violence when he was fatally shot around 12:20 p.m.
Authorities arrested 22-year-old southern Utah resident Tyler Robinson in connection with Kirk’s killing on Friday after a 33-hour manhunt. He’s being held in the Utah County jail, but had not been charged as of Saturday.
According to its website, the nonprofit Turning Point USA’s mission is to “identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.” Turning Point now boasts more than 800 college chapters.
Turning Point and Kirk also supported President Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Kirk was also known for courting controversy — he spread falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, vaccines and transgender people. He also called Martin Luther King “awful” and claimed 1960s civil rights legislation had become an anti-white weapon.
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