{"id":228701,"date":"2025-09-15T12:28:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/228701\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T12:28:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T12:28:15","slug":"vigil-for-slain-activist-charlie-kirk-draws-throng-to-fort-worth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/228701\/","title":{"rendered":"Vigil for slain activist Charlie Kirk draws throng to Fort Worth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Mourners gathered Sunday evening in Fort Worth to honor the life of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a prayer vigil.<b> <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">About 1,000 people packed into<b> <\/b>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. <b> <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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. <\/p>\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/V5DQGAWBS5CDBN5EVGI44ONMEM.jpg\" alt=\"Utah Valley University student Alec Vera stands near a memorial for Charlie Kirk on Friday,...\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Breaking News<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__3beff secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-20 text-center text-gray-dark\">Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__8MgJa flex flex-wrap text-gray-dark secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-10 text-center justify-center\">By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0<a class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__lU9-l border-b border-gray-dark hover_border-0 focus_border-0 active_border-0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/help\/terms-of-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__lU9-l border-b border-gray-dark hover_border-0 focus_border-0 active_border-0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Kirk, a conservative political activist and CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/politics\/2025\/09\/10\/conservative-commentator-charlie-kirk-shot-at-utah-university-event-nbc-news-reports\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/politics\/2025\/09\/10\/conservative-commentator-charlie-kirk-shot-at-utah-university-event-nbc-news-reports\/\">was assassinated<\/a> while speaking at the Utah college event, a graphic slaying that was caught on video that was then shared throughout social media feeds. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The day after the killing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/crime\/2025\/09\/12\/who-is-tyler-robinson-the-suspect-in-the-charlie-kirk-shooting\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/crime\/2025\/09\/12\/who-is-tyler-robinson-the-suspect-in-the-charlie-kirk-shooting\/\">22-year-old Tyler James Robinson <\/a>of Utah was arrested as a suspect in the shooting incident. Officials said Sunday that Robinson was not cooperating with investigators and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/2025\/09\/13\/fact-check-charlie-kirk-assassination-prompts-flood-of-false-misleading-claims-online\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/2025\/09\/13\/fact-check-charlie-kirk-assassination-prompts-flood-of-false-misleading-claims-online\/\">a motive<\/a> for the crime remains unknown. <\/p>\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/F6SGYTA74FAUXFBLC5CSKZHQOY.jpg\" alt=\"The New York Young Republicans Club holds a vigil for Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder...\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">At the Fort Worth prayer vigil, attendees wore \u201cFreedom\u201d shirts, mimicking the shirt Kirk wore when he was killed, MAGA hats and carried American flags as they came together to honor Kirk<b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The vigil was organized through Facebook. Tiffany Bond, 37, said she cried all day Wednesday after hearing news of the assassination<b>. <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">She said she wanted to attend a local vigil for Kirk but didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Within a day, the posting had garnered interest from thousands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s all for Charlie Kirk. That\u2019s the truth. He\u2019s inspired so many people; it\u2019s just awesome to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/M374M64PJRCFPD2SSS4W4GXN3A.jpg\" alt=\"FBI Director Kash Patel attends a news conference in Orem, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Bond said many people reached out to her over social media to ask how they could help, which included someone who donated the \u201cFreedom\u201d shirts for people to wear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s what we wanted to wear,\u201d Bond said. \u201cSo that we could dress like Charlie dressed on his last day. Because we\u2019re all Charlie now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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<b>. <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Many in the crowd cried and shouted \u201cAmen!\u201d during the remarks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Ahead of the Sunday game at AT&amp;T Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk. A photo of Kirk was also displayed on the AT&amp;T Stadium videoboard during that moment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/faith\/2025\/09\/14\/elevate-life-church-in-frisco-honors-life-and-legacy-of-charlie-kirk\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/news\/faith\/2025\/09\/14\/elevate-life-church-in-frisco-honors-life-and-legacy-of-charlie-kirk\/\">megachurch in Frisco<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/F6SGYTA74FAUXFBLC5CSKZHQOY.jpg\" alt=\"The New York Young Republicans Club holds a vigil for Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder...\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Robert Moreno, 25, came to the vigil in Fort Worth with his fianc\u00e9e Dayanara Gutierrez, 22. The couple drove roughly 40 minutes from Duncanville to attend the vigil on Sunday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Moreno and Gutierrez said Kirk had a big impact on their decision to get married.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cI feel like a big part of our relationship reflects what Charlie did for a lot of youth,\u201d Moreno said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The couple wore \u201cFreedom\u201d shirts and brought an American flag and signs, one of which read \u201cLive like Charlie\u201d and had the Bible verse Matthew 25:23, which reads in part \u201cHis Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t know him personally,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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: \u201cThe Lord is close to the brokenhearted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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 \u201cspeak the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cIn our culture today, there\u2019s a lot of divisiveness,\u201d Hill said. \u201cBut he was never afraid to have honest conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Hill, who called Kirk a \u201cmodern-day martyr\u201d said after hearing about the shooting, she was shocked and began praying for Kirk. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re here to support him and hopefully to make a change and spread love and don\u2019t spread hate,\u201d Jonathan Moore said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Like Hill, the Moores said they were shocked and saddened by Kirk\u2019s death, but saw God working through the people who came together to honor Kirk at vigils across the nation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cI think people are more convicted now than ever, to stand for what\u2019s right, to stand for freedom, to not be afraid, to show their belief in God,\u201d Morgan Moore said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s what Charlie would have wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">As the vigil drew to a close, the slideshow<b> <\/b>of Kirk and his family played on a projector as attendees held up candles. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">When the slideshow ended, the crowd erupted into repeated chants of \u201cCharlie!\u201d and \u201cUSA!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The vigil ended with a reading of the Lord\u2019s prayer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mourners gathered Sunday evening in Fort Worth to honor the life of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":228702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,19719,7712,11412,7371,7372,80,7375,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-228701","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-charlie-kirk","10":"tag-dallas-fortworth","11":"tag-faith","12":"tag-fort-worth","13":"tag-fortworth","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-tarrant-county","16":"tag-texas","17":"tag-tx","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}