On the first leg of Charlie Kirk’s “The American Comeback” tour, he was fatally shot during his tabling event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Kirk was a conservative social media influencer and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a group aimed at promoting “the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government,” according to the organization’s website. Kirk founded TPUSA in 2012, and he has traveled to many campuses debating with students on topics like gender, sexuality, race and gun control.
After Kirk’s death, Wichita State’s TPUSA chapter president Ryan Whalen said TPUSA staff were told to return to their homes as of now.
“There is so much that is unknown,” Whalen said the day after Kirk’s death.
Later, Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, said in an address that “The American Comeback” tour will continue.
Police reports said some unspent cartridges were engraved with “transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” according to ABC7.
A suspect in Kirk’s murder, Tyler Robinson, has been taken into custody. Utah Attorney General Derek Brown said that “everything is on the table” in regards to pursuing punishment for Robinson if he is convicted. Robinson is in custody under suspicion of aggravated murder, which can carry the death penalty in Utah.
WSU’s TPUSA chapter is holding a vigil for Kirk at Grace Memorial Chapel on Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
