Charlie Kirk’s death leaves supporters in shock
Conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed at a Utah college campus event on Wednesday. FOX 10’s Brian Webb hears from two young men about Kirk’s impact on their lives.
PHOENIX – Conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed at a Utah college campus event on Wednesday.
Kirk was known as a conservative political influencer, particularly among young voters. He often visited college campuses to engage with students on topics from politics to faith.
Two young men, drawn to Kirk and his message, shared their reactions to his death: One, a former high school chapter president of Turning Point USA, had met Kirk several times. The other was standing just feet away when Kirk was killed.
What they’re saying:
“Honestly, my first impression was someone has thrown a firecracker, or played a joke to disrupt the event,” said Michael, a college student in Utah who went to the Sept. 10 event to ask Kirk a question about faith. He heard a single gunshot about 10 feet away.
Kirk was at Utah Valley University to kick off his American Comeback Tour on Sept. 10.
“People were anticipating a second gunshot and were hesitant to move until there was a second shot, but after 20, 30 seconds went by without a second gunshot, people kind of bolted for the exits,” Michael said.
Jaden Grandon, a former Turning Point USA chapter president at Cactus Shadows High School, said the news was shocking.
“Aside from politics, you have a family man, and you have a man who has two children and a wife, so it’s just shocking,” Grandon said. “I think it’s a shock for the country and for the whole world.”
Grandon said he was drawn to Kirk for more than politics, but also for his faith.
“There was always a light about him, an ease when you talk to him,” he said. “He just seemed like he genuinely cared, and he genuinely just loved people.”
Both young men were drawn to Kirk and his message, and are now left with the emotional scars of political violence.
Michael and Jaden Grandon
“It’s finally me. I am finally experiencing I’m a victim of gun violence in a way,” Michael said.
Grandon said his faith in Kirk’s Christian beliefs brings him comfort.
“The thing that brings me comfort the most is that I know that he was an advent follower of Christ,” Grandon said. “I know that his walk with God was very … he seemed like he had a very strong relationship with God, so I am very comfortable with the fact that if he has passed onto the next life that he will be just fine.”
Turning Point USA chapters across the country boast nearly 250,000 students.
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