Mourners gathered Sunday evening in Fort Worth to honor the life of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a prayer vigil.
About 1,000 people packed into Trinity Park, their vehicles jamming access roads, to pay tribute to the 31-year-old influencer who was shot and killed while speaking Sept. 10 on the campus of Utah Valley University.
At the park, a memorial was set up with photographs of Kirk and decorated with electric candles, flowers and American flags as several people took pictures before the vigil started.
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Kirk, a conservative political activist and CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was assassinated while speaking at the Utah college event, a graphic slaying that was caught on video that was then shared throughout social media feeds.
The day after the killing, 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson of Utah was arrested as a suspect in the shooting incident. Officials said Sunday that Robinson was not cooperating with investigators and a motive for the crime remains unknown.
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At the Fort Worth prayer vigil, attendees wore “Freedom” shirts, mimicking the shirt Kirk wore when he was killed, MAGA hats and carried American flags as they came together to honor Kirk.
The vigil was organized through Facebook. Tiffany Bond, 37, said she cried all day Wednesday after hearing news of the assassination.
She said she wanted to attend a local vigil for Kirk but didn’t see any listed in Fort Worth, where she lives with her husband, David. That led her to create a Facebook post, thinking she could organize a small gathering to honor Kirk.
Within a day, the posting had garnered interest from thousands.
“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “And it’s all for Charlie Kirk. That’s the truth. He’s inspired so many people; it’s just awesome to see.”
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Bond said many people reached out to her over social media to ask how they could help, which included someone who donated the “Freedom” shirts for people to wear.
“That’s what we wanted to wear,” Bond said. “So that we could dress like Charlie dressed on his last day. Because we’re all Charlie now.”
Two of the people who reached out to Bond were Andrew and Amanda Clement. The couple brought candles and audiovisual equipment to set up a slideshow showing pictures of Kirk and his family that was set to worship music.
Andrew Clement delivered a eulogy for Kirk written by his wife at the vigil. He said the couple had not met Bond until they reached out to her through Facebook.
The vigil started with speakers talking about the impact Kirk had on their lives and in the country as they prayed for him, his family and the country.
Many in the crowd cried and shouted “Amen!” during the remarks.
Afterwards, the microphone was passed around to attendees, and each of them further explained why they liked Kirk and what they felt he represented in America.
Ahead of the Sunday game at AT&T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk. A photo of Kirk was also displayed on the AT&T Stadium videoboard during that moment.
A megachurch in Frisco also honored Kirk in their services on Sunday. Keith Craft, lead pastor of Elevate Life Church, along with his daughter, delivered their message as screens behind them displayed images of memorials for Kirk around the world.
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He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, all felonies, according to a probable cause statement filed in court and released Friday.
Investigators have not yet released the motive behind the shooting. Robinson, who allegedly had left-leaning political beliefs and disliked Kirk, was reported by a family friend, The Associated Press reported.
Robert Moreno, 25, came to the vigil in Fort Worth with his fiancée Dayanara Gutierrez, 22. The couple drove roughly 40 minutes from Duncanville to attend the vigil on Sunday.
Moreno and Gutierrez said Kirk had a big impact on their decision to get married.
“I feel like a big part of our relationship reflects what Charlie did for a lot of youth,” Moreno said.
The couple wore “Freedom” shirts and brought an American flag and signs, one of which read “Live like Charlie” and had the Bible verse Matthew 25:23, which reads in part “His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant.”
“We didn’t know him personally,” Moreno said. “It’s just the mere fact that everyone here feels like they knew him, and it just goes to show how much of a spiritual impact he had on everyone.”
Another attendee, Chelsea Hill, 35, brought a sign and American flag to the vigil, which she draped around her shoulders as she listened to the speakers. Her sign had the Bible verse Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.”
Hill said she came to the vigil from Keller with several of her friends from church. She said she attended an event Kirk spoke at in Grapevine and was drawn to him for his willingness to “speak the truth.”
“In our culture today, there’s a lot of divisiveness,” Hill said. “But he was never afraid to have honest conversations.”
Hill, who called Kirk a “modern-day martyr” said after hearing about the shooting, she was shocked and began praying for Kirk.
Morgan and Jonathan Moore, both 25, came with Hill to the vigil. The married couple said they came to pay their respects to Kirk and pray for his wife and children.
“We’re here to support him and hopefully to make a change and spread love and don’t spread hate,” Jonathan Moore said.
Like Hill, the Moores said they were shocked and saddened by Kirk’s death, but saw God working through the people who came together to honor Kirk at vigils across the nation.
“I think people are more convicted now than ever, to stand for what’s right, to stand for freedom, to not be afraid, to show their belief in God,” Morgan Moore said. “And I think that’s what Charlie would have wanted.”
As the vigil drew to a close, the slideshow of Kirk and his family played on a projector as attendees held up candles.
When the slideshow ended, the crowd erupted into repeated chants of “Charlie!” and “USA!”
The vigil ended with a reading of the Lord’s prayer.