Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist and social media personality, was killed by a gunshot Wednesday, Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Utah Valley University was the first of five stops on Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour”: a tour where he debates students about political topics. The suspect has been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, an Utah resident. The 31-year-old is survived by his wife and two children. For this, many have been mourning Kirk on behalf of his family.
“My brother sent me a video of him getting shot and I stopped dead in my tracks; my heart dropped. I stood there for like five seconds trying to understand what happened. I made this shirt because I wanted to show support for Charlie and his family even though I don’t agree with his viewpoints. I just think that unnecessary violence is bad and that no one should be killed for what their views are,” senior Gabrielis Bandzius said.
Students have expressed similar mixed feelings about Kirk’s death. They feel empathy for his family and believe gun violence is wrong, while also acknowledging the political commentator held views they do not agree with.
“I think it was wrong that he died because of his political issues. I feel extremely bad for his family. Still, he has supported the hatred of several groups and pushed violent agendas against marginalized people. It’s interesting how people are just now acknowledging gun violence because of this when there’s been so many other school shootings in the country,” senior Kent Sybico said.
Kirk hosted a podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” where he shared his thoughts on news topics and promoted his ideas. Due to this, he was popular among young people with similar conservative beliefs, and some say his death leaves an absence in their movement.
“As he was a believer in God—and so am I—it was tragic to see and hear about. Kirk has helped the Trump Administration as well as the Republican party thrive and now we don’t have that strong figure to advocate for us,” junior Gabrielle Santander said.
The death of Kirk has raised concerns about possible violence breaking out among different groups. According to social studies teacher Daniel Kosiba, he worries Kirk may be treated as a symbol for further polarization.
“I’m worried that our current president is going to use this as an opportunity to grab even more power and use the military to police the people. I’m worried that someone who was an extremist, which Charlie Kirk was, is going to be made into a martyr that people are going to try and avenge, and that will lead to more violence. I think [Donald Trump] might use this as an excuse, or a justification to violate the Constitution even more than he already has. I’m afraid that we’re gonna lose sight of how disgusting cold-blooded murder is. It’s gonna become something that politicians use to advance their own selfish causes,” Kosiba said.
