As the sun set on Wednesday, Sept. 10, dozens of University of Oklahoma students could barely hold back their tears, their faces only visible in the darkness due to the tiny candles in their hands.
Around 100 of them had gathered at short notice to join in prayer and reflect on the life of a man they described as a fallen hero.
Charlie Kirk, the firebrand conservative activist, had been fatally shot earlier Wednesday during a speaking event at Utah Valley University.
The death of the right-wing influencer stunned many students at Oklahoma’s largest universities, where Kirk, 31, had once brought his contentious commentary and debate. Through his influence, Kirk was known for injecting his hyper-conservative values into young Americans across the country.
For some students at Oklahoma universities, the fact that Kirk was killed on a college campus carried an extra weight.
“People are scared,” said Blake Swenson, a 21-year-old junior at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. “Charlie stood up for his faith, and there’s nothing more important than that.”
Swenson sat on a bench near a mini memorial for Kirk set up next to a fountain in front of the Edmon Low Library. At the center of the memorial was a photo of Kirk with his wife and two children, along with a sign that read, “Left or right, a father, son, husband/friend is dead.”
Kirk became a national figure as the co-founder of Turning Point USA, an organization that pushes Christian conservative politics on high school and college campuses. He was a close political ally of President Donald Trump, recognized for his ability to package party politics in a way that appealed to younger audiences. He was known for encouraging traditional gender roles, touting anti-LGBTQ+ views of marriage and making provocative statements about race.
His campus events routinely turned into debates with people who disagreed with his political takes. Still, Kirk attracted a massive following, and Trump and other Republican leaders credited him with inspiring a new generation of conservative voters.
‘He is the reason why I hold all of the believes that I believe’
Aaron Newman, a marketing student at OU, said during the candlelight vigil on the school’s campus that he had probably watched “about 1,000 hours of Charlie Kirk” since 2022. He described Kirk’s death as “probably the most heartbreaking and tragic death” in the country’s recent history.
“He is the reason why I hold all of the beliefs that I believe,” Newman said. “Words can’t truly describe how horrible of an event this is. Charlie was a patriot, he was an American hero, and I believe that he would have been president of the United States one day.”
Josh Michael, a 21-year-old student at OSU, told The Oklahoman he stood for four hours to listen to Kirk speak on campus five months ago. Kirk spoke there in April during his “The American Comeback” tour, which hosted free events across the nation.
It was at a similar event on Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah where Kirk was shot and killed.
“That’s definitely something that could have very possibly happened here, which obviously, praise God that it didn’t,” Michael said. “You’ve definitely got to keep your head on a swivel. Be aware of your surroundings.”
Michael’s fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, hung a banner outside its house reading, “Pray for the Kirks.”
More: Oklahoma leaders condemn political violence after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah
Kalib Magana, president of the University of Oklahoma’s chapter of Turning Point USA, lights a candle during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, Sep. 10, at OU’s campus in Norman.
As of Thursday afternoon, authorities were still searching for the shooter who killed Kirk. Photos of a person of interest were also released by the FBI on Thursday.
Trump said Thursday that he would award Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award the U.S. bestows to civilians.
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and the courage he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” Trump said during a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Behind OSU’s library, hundreds of small American flags were planted in the ground in recognition of 9/11. A few students representing Young Americans for Freedom at OSU were sitting at a table near the flags.
A makeshift memorial for Charlie Kirk appeared on the campus of Oklahoma State University one day after the conservative activist was killed as he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University.
Thomas Hatfield, an OSU junior and president of the conservative student organization, said it sickens him to have to discuss the killing of Kirk on the anniversary of 9/11.
“It’s a shame that one person decided that murdering somebody over their political beliefs was more important than bringing people together and understanding each other’s differences,” Hatfield, 20, said.
More: OU chapter of Turning Point USA holds vigil in memory of Charlie Kirk
Kirk was often labeled as divisive, racist and at times hate-stoking by critics. One of his most controversial comments was in 2024 when he said that he might assume a Black airline pilot is less qualified than a White pilot because of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
But many students said Kirk’s messaging — and the way he tailored it to young crowds on social media and in person — resonated with them.
At the OU vigil, junior Elizabeth Ardizzone, 20, described herself as a proud Republican Jew from New York. She said that while attending high school on the East Coast, she was always told that she would be villainized if she spoke up for both her beliefs.
“But watching Charlie Kirk and hearing the way he spoke, the way that his mind worked, was just amazing to me,” Ardizzone said. “I did not understand how much information someone like him could have in his head and just be able to articulate it so well — and so respectfully, too. He changed so many people’s opinions on even the most minute things.”
About 100 people gathered for a vigil at the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman to honor Charlie Kirk. The founder of Turning Point USA was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Gary Barksdale, an OU math professor and faculty adviser to the Turning Point chapter, called for the students at the OU vigil to hold onto Kirk’s memory.
“Charlie was impactful to me in such a way because he let me know that the fire of patriotic devotion is in the heart of our youth,” Barksdale said.
Kalib Magana, president of the OU chapter for Turning Point USA, said he was in disbelief when he heard Kirk was killed.
Magana, who said he had met and gotten to know Kirk personally, remembered him as a “respectful and caring” person who was passionate about his personal beliefs, his Christian faith and his family.
“I guess the only way to really move on from this is, for us as patriots, for us as the youth, to carry on what Charlie Kirk would’ve wanted us to do,” Magana said. “Right now, he would want us to continue on fighting for our country, doing what’s right, speaking the Word of God, to ensure that our country lives on.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU, OU Oklahoma college students decry shooting of Charlie Kirk