In the aftermath of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, experts and public figures are taking a closer look at balancing safety and accessibility.
In the aftermath of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, safety experts and public figures are taking a closer look at balancing safety and accessibility.
WTOP spoke with former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger about the issue.
Manger said he’d advise politicians — whether members of Congress, mayors or school board members — to have security assessments if there are any concerns about a given venue.
“Typically, their local police department will have a security expert, a lot of times it is the SWAT team,” he said.
Manger said whether an event is outdoors or at an arena or auditorium, increasing security comes at a price.
“It is staffing intensive, it is resource intensive. You’ve got to have enough people, you’ve got to have the right equipment, folks have to have the right training, and all of that costs money,” he said.
Securing indoor facilities is also labor intensive, Manger noted, saying it’s not just a matter of having attendees walk through metal detectors.
“What happened an hour before the event started? Who was in there, and what were they doing?” he asked.
Manger explained that someone could have placed something in a venue that could present a threat and that’s why security sweeps are often performed ahead of an event.
Touching on the Kirk probe, Manger said the investigation into the suspect’s motives were still in the early stages, adding that toughening gun laws — when mental health issues are a concern — was unlikely to prevent similar acts in the future.
“I will tell you that I have seen shooting incidents throughout my career, and I think back to Newtown, Connecticut,” he said, referring to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. “That was not enough of a catalyst to make any changes to our gun laws.”
Manger added that he doesn’t know what could result in “meaningful” changes to “keep guns out of the hands of people who should not have them.”
As concern about young people turning to political violence rises, Manger said, “I would say 99% of all parents don’t do a very good job of monitoring what their kids are looking at online. We think we do, but most kids can be in their own room with their own device.”
And parents can’t be certain what they’re looking at and what they’re starting to pay attention to, he said.
However, Manger said that doesn’t mean parents should give up on monitoring their children’s social media and news diet.
“What you can pay attention to is what your child says and what your child does,” he said. “That’s every parents’ responsibility because, oftentimes, they’re the only ones that would see those changes.”
There’s also the question of a larger civic responsibility. “Who’s going to step up?” he said.
Currently, according to Manger, there’s a lot of hesitation to step forward.
“These people come out of nowhere,” he said, citing the suspect in Kirk’s shooting death.
Manger does not put the blame just on social media, but also on the overheated political discourse — on both sides of the political aisle — that suggests things are so bad, and that the opposing side is to blame.
“What they have in common is they are extremists. They have been radicalized and they believe that political violence is justified,” he said.
Manger noted there’s been a sudden spike in swatting, the practice of filing false reports about threats on college campuses and other public spaces. On Thursday alone, there were reported threats to Maryland’s House speaker and Senate president, and the report of an active shooter at the U.S. Naval Academy that ended with a Midshipman being shot and wounded.
He said in his own experience as U.S. Capitol Police chief, similar threats that targeted members of Congress were often based overseas.
“We weren’t able to pinpoint who made the call and who originated the threat, but we were able to determine that it came from overseas,” he said. “So this wasn’t just some neighborhood kid trying to get out of taking a test.”
Referring to the current political climate, Manger said, “I don’t remember politics being like this.”
“How we combat this? God, I wish I had the answer,” he said.
But Manger said the country needs to reject political violence as a possible solution to any issue.
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Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were in agreement that political discourse in the United States has reached a startling level following the assassination of Charlie Kirk and other recent acts of political violence.
Kirk’s assassination is the latest in a string of political violence that has left several high-profile figures dead or injured since July 2024, when President Donald Trump was shot while campaigning for his second term in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was targeted again by a would-be assassin just months later. In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was the victim of an arson attack. And in June, two Minnesota lawmakers and their families were attacked, leaving two dead.
The political violence has had a chilling effect on the nation, with some lawmakers going so far as to cancel public appearances amid fears of physical violence.
“We have a climate right now where people who are frankly unhinged … like the two guys who tried to shoot President Trump, one who did shoot him, the person – whoever it is – who killed Charlie, the person who went after the Minnesota lawmakers – these people are nuts,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “But they are egged on by a climate that says, ‘Hey, you know, it’s okay basically to go out and shoot your opponents because they’re really Hitler.'”
Charlie Kirk appears alongside an image of President Donald Trump after he was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania.(Getty Images)
The sentiment was echoed by Democratic lawmakers on the Hill as well.
“It’s really sad and just scary, you know, honestly, just how dire things have gotten in this country in terms of our political discourse,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J. “I was actually just remarking the other day how, in a survey, over 50% of Americans surveyed said that they would call people in the other political party ‘the enemy.’ I just think that’s terrifying, that’s so dangerous of a place for our country to be.”
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon added that in order for this Republic to work, people must be able to “passionately share [their] viewpoints and do so knowing that we resolve our differences through advocacy and voting, not through violence.”
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I don’t know what it says about political discourse, but it certainly says something about violence, and it has no business in political discourse. You can have a robust disagreement with people, but when it turns to violence, something’s gone badly wrong,” responded Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., when asked about what Kirk’s death said about the current state of political discourse.
Kirk was known for engaging passionately, but also respectfully, with students of all political stripes on college campuses as part of Turning Point USA, the grassroots organization he co-founded in 2012. He would regularly visit college campuses all around the country and debate with students from different perspectives on various issues of the day. Oftentimes, Kirk would hold “Prove Me Wrong” events, where he would give students a chance to do just that – prove him wrong.
“I mean, that’s the shame of this. Charlie Kirk was polite, he had a message, and he spread that message, and he engaged people to speak and debate, and then he lost his life for that,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. “That’s the thing about this country, we have freedom of speech. Nobody should ever take out violence based on something somebody said.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“I would hope that all people would take a moment, reflect, and bring down this political rhetoric,” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., told Fox News Digital. “These violent words precede violent actions.”
Hawley, meanwhile, suggested a tactic to help solve the issue.
“I’ll just say again, part of the way we stop it, is we realize that there’s stuff in life that’s more important than politics,” he told reporters.
WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler James Robinson, is currently being held in the Utah County Jail, but he grew up here, in the southwest corner of the state.
A town of just over 37,000 people a four-hour drive south of Salt Lake City, Washington City is situated in the middle of the dramatic red rocks of southern Utah, about 30 minutes away from Zion National Park. It’s full of well laid-out stucco homes, many of them recently built, with American flags blowing gently from their porches.
The family home of Tyler Robinson, who is the suspect in the Utah Valley University killing of Charlie Kirk, is pictured in Washington, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Kirk was a conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA. The house is blue and in the lower left of the photo. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
People in Robinson’s neighborhood and those he grew up with expressed shock and grief to the Deseret News, reacting to the news just hours after Robinson was identified by authorities on Friday morning.
Outside his parents’ home in Washington City, law enforcement officers blocked off the street with vehicles.
Siblings Victoria and Colby Cannon live in the area and came to see the house, after seeing police cars and hordes of journalists in the area. Both Victoria and Colby were big fans of Charlie Kirk and were shocked when they realized the suspected shooter was from nearby.
Another woman standing on her front lawn only a few doors down from the Robinsons’ had a reporter park in front of her driveway. She expressed sympathy for the family and wished they were given more space.
Members of the media work near the family home of Tyler Robinson, who is the suspect in the Utah Valley University killing of Charlie Kirk, in Washington, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Kirk was a conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
A prominent conservative activist and organizer, Kirk was shot and killed during a “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday around noon. Just a few hours later he was pronounced dead at Timpanogos Regional Hospital.
Robinson was apprehended at 10 p.m. on Thursday night, after a statewide manhunt was carried out. Local, state and federal law enforcement officers combed through video, tips and forensic evidence as they searched for Kirk’s killer.
Robinson is believed to have climbed to the roof of the Losee Center, a building next to the grassy amphitheater at UVU where Kirk was interacting with 3,000 students and visitors.
Video and images released of the shooter were recognized by members of his family, who were praised by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox for being willing to turn him in.
These two mugshots released by the FBI show Tyler Robinson. | FBI
DN-UVUscenemap
Investigators also spoke to Robinson’s roommate, who lived with him at an apartment in St. George and has not been identified.
According to Cox, the roommate said Robinson communicated with him on Discord, a social media platform that is popular with young gamers.
Cox said the roommate told investigators Robinson said he had left a gun wrapped in a towel in a wooded area next to the college campus.
The bullet casings and bullets in the gun were engraved with anti-fascist messages, Cox said, including, “Hey, Fascist! Catch!” and another that said “If you read this, you are gay, lmao,” among others.
Department of Public Safety forensics workers work at the apartment of Tyler Robinson, who is the suspect in the Utah Valley University killing of Charlie Kirk, in St. George on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Kirk was a conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
A fellow Boy Scout
Tate Conrad, also from Washington City, grew up with Robinson, and is enrolled in the same college program at Dixie Technical College in St. George. He is worried about Robinson’s family and the hate they are getting online.
Conrad is a year younger than Robinson; they met in the same Boy Scout troop in middle school.
Conrad started an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Tech this fall, where Robinson is in his third year.
As a kid, Conrad said Robinson was “quiet, obviously, but he was a really nice kid. He was always genuine. He wasn’t a loner — he’d be by himself, but if you reached out to him, he’d just be there, and he’d join the conversation.”
Conrad said Robinson fit in with the other Boy Scouts in their troop. “He was friends with all of us. Nobody disliked him. Nobody hated him. He was a good kid,” he said.
They both also attended Pine View High School in St. George.
When Conrad saw Robinson at Dixie Tech last week, he said, “He looked totally the same. Same old Tyler.”
Robinson attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021, after receiving the presidential scholarship, worth $32,000.
He was also exceptionally bright, scoring a 34 out of 36 on the ACT college aptitude test, according to a post from his mom on Facebook.
It isn’t clear why he left USU.
During a press conference Friday morning, Cox said a family member told law enforcement about a conversation at a family gathering prior to Sept. 10, where Robinson mentioned Kirk was coming to UVU.
The family member said that Robinson had become more political in recent years, Cox said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a press conference while joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and other local and federal law enforcement and government officials in the Pope Science Building on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
During a conversation at the gathering, Robinson mentioned Kirk’s viewpoints, and said Kirk “was full of hate and spreading hate,” Cox said.
The Guardian reported that a high school friend of Robinson’s, who asked to remain anonymous, said Robinson was “pretty left on everything” and was “the only member of his family that was really leftist.” The friend said the other members of Robinson’s family were Republicans.
The friend told the Guardian, “I knew he (Robinson) had strong political views, but I never thought it would even go near that far.”
According to state records, Robinson is a registered voter in the state of Utah but is not affiliated with a political party and apparently hasn’t voted in the last two election cycles.
What was it like to find out that Tyler Robinson is Kirk’s suspected killer?
Tate Conrad, who grew up going to Boy Scouts with Tyler Robinson, the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk, poses for a portrait outside of his home in Washington on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Kirk was a conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
“It was shocking, honestly,” Conrad said, when asked how he reacted to the news of Robinson’s arrest. “I didn’t know he was a person capable of something so violent. And it’s hard to digest, because I love Charlie Kirk, and he was an awesome figure.”
Kirk was one of Conrad’s idols, he’s been listening to him for a year. “Charlie Kirk was somebody who stood for what he believed in. He loved God. And he was just trying to have peaceful interactions with the world,” Conrad said.
Though Conrad has lost family members and friends close to him before, losing Kirk was different. It felt “like a piece of me was gone,” Conrad said. “It feels like we lost a light, a beacon for hope, because he helped a lot of people my age who were confused and wanted somebody they could talk to.”
Kirk displayed patience, Conrad said. “That man was a saint. You could see people yelling and screaming at him, and he’d just be sitting there with a smile on his face, having the best time of his life.”
Robinson’s 11-year-old neighbor reacts to news
Standing next to his father Cory and little brother Beckham near Robinson’s apartment in St. George, Aiden Bartley, 11, recalled talking to Robinson and being surprised and confused after finding out that a man he had met is Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer.
Aiden Bartley, 11, takes in the scene around him and continues to react to the news that his neighbor Tyler Robinson is the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk, in St. George on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Robinson bought chocolates from Bartley for Bartley’s school fundraiser in the past. Kirk was a conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
In March, Aiden knocked on every single door in his neighborhood, selling chocolate bars for a school fundraiser.
“He was really nice,” Aiden said, adding, “He bought, like, three chocolate bars. One was wafer.”
Aiden said the other kids in his class are really sad about Kirk’s death as well.
Cory Bartley had been following Charlie Kirk for the past five or six years. He was shocked to find out that Robinson lived just a couple doors away. “Small world,” he said. “It’s so crazy.”
The Bartleys live near Robinson’s apartment in St. George, where he had at least one roommate.
In Washington City, Robinson’s father recognized him from the images released by law enforcement officials and told his son to turn himself in. At first he resisted, according to the Associated Press, but then he changed his mind.
Robinson was arrested for aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
The apartment of Tyler Robinson, who is the suspect in the Utah Valley University killing of Charlie Kirk, is pictured in St. George on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Kirk was a conservative activist and the founder and president of Turning Point USA. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
LOGAN, Utah – Hundreds of Utah State University students still reeling from the assassination of Charlie Kirk came together at a tearful vigil hosted by the campus’ Turning Point USA chapter on Friday night.
“We just want to have our community come together in this really dark time,” Kaitlyn Griffiths, president of the school’s chapter, told Fox News Digital at the emotional and faithful tribute to the late conservative activist. “Especially something that happened so close to home for us. And we want to be able to gather and celebrate this man’s life.”
The somber vigil comes two days after Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of the conservative student program Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University, the first stop on TPUSA’s The American Comeback Tour.
Hundreds of Utah State University students gather for an emotional tribute following the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025. (Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
A heavy police presence was seen throughout the university as hundreds of mourners filled the campus to pay tribute to Kirk, with the vigil including prayers from the student body and a moving film featuring key moments in his career.
“I’m a Christian,” Griffiths said. “I believe that Jesus Christ died for us, and Charlie Kirk believed in the same things. The thing that he always said he wanted to be remembered [for] was his courage and his faith, so we’re trying to focus our event tonight on celebrating his faith, and the man that he was, and how strongly and harshly he worked for the things that he cared for.”
USU student Travis Ferraro echoed the same sentiments surrounding his Christian faith while attending the candlelight vigil, hosted on the campus’ quad.
Students gather for an emotional tribute to Charlie Kirk at Utah State University in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025.(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“I felt called by God to pray over everybody, and pray for their families and for everyone surrounding him,” Ferraro told Fox News Digital. “And also just to give a devotional, just about how to treat each other with kindness.”
On Friday, authorities announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with Kirk’s murder. Robinson was taken into custody after a family member notified a friend that he admitted to the killing, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a news conference.
However, Kirk remained at the forefront of mourners’ minds as students came together to celebrate his life and legacy while the sun set on USU’s campus.
Libby Rasmussen, a student at Utah State University, attends a candlelight vigil for Charlie Kirk on the school’s campus in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025.(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“I am here because Charlie Kirk made a really big impact on my life,” Libby Rasmussen said. “I started watching him probably about 3 or 4 years ago when I was a senior in high school, and he’s just really shaped who I am, what I believe in [and] my values. I don’t think there’s anyone else on this earth like him.”
Rasmussen went on to describe how Kirk impacted both her political and religious views.
“Just him going around and preaching that the Bible is the way, and that you just have to believe in God and be faithful,” Rasmussen told Fox News Digital. “His faith was [unwavering], and that is what I really just want to carry along throughout the rest of my life as well.”
Hundreds of Utah State University students gather for an emotional tribute following the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Logan, Utah on Friday, September 12, 2025. Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital(Peter D’Abrosca/Fox News Digital)
“I definitely believe in God,” Manny Chapa said. “I believe in Christ, and [Kirk] just stands behind that. And one of the last things he was able to preach, before his passing, was God. He was able to preach God while he was up on that stage. And it’s just beautiful to see a man like that.”
Fox News Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.
Peter D’Abrosca joined Fox News Digital in 2025. Previously, he was a politics reporter at The Tennessee Star.
He grew up in Rhode Island and is a graduate of Elon University.
Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.
And it might be the best thing he’s ever done for this country, even if accidentally, according to experts on political violence.
They unanimously agree that the livestream killing of the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder in Utah on Wednesday has the potential to unleash a wave of further violence — especially if the White House essentially gives the green light for reprisals. A lack of focused attention, though, might inadvertently serve to lower the temperature in the country.
“If you would’ve asked me six months ago, I would’ve been much more optimistic about the risk of political violence to our country. Today, I think we are at an inflection point, potentially, where we can come together or we can further divide,” says Sean Westwood, an associate professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College and the director of the Polarization Research Lab. “Unfortunately, because of a lot of the messaging that’s coming through social media, and from leaders like Trump … we’re being nudged toward greater division.”
Contrary to the assertion of Trump and some Republicans — particularly those seeking to create a committee to “uncover the force” behind the “radical left” by probing a slew of “entities driving this coordinated attack” — Westwood says there’s no evidence the shooting was “coordinated” at all or even that there’s a “national appetite” for coordinated political violence.
The Kirk killing, he says, is part of a trend of “lone wolf” violence that lacks any organizational backing and often plays out with an “isolated individual” struggling with mental-health issues and “without a coherent ideology.” The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is said to have scrawled messages on bullet casings that express anti-fascist sentiments but may double as references to video games and online trolling culture.
“The worst thing that we can imagine is our political leaders inflaming rhetoric and then giving mentally unstable individuals justification to commit additional acts of violence,” Westwood says, warning of a “false sense of mandate” to carry out attacks.
“I think President Trump was correct in his diagnosis that incendiary rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing, but I think he needs to turn that diagnosis on his own house,” he adds.
The typically short attention span of the media and those driven by the news cycle, according to West, might ultimately help to ease tensions.
“I think if we can get through the next few weeks, the risk dramatically decreases until a major event happens,” Westwood says, but “it’s going to be much harder to stop” a downward spiral if there is an act of retaliation over Kirk in the near future.
“It’s really concerning to see that kind of rhetoric” coming from the White House, says Dalya Berkowitz, a senior research analyst in the Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Calls for retaliation tend to lead to “regular people getting pulled into this violence” because it is somehow portrayed as “righteous.” That is especially true, she says, “in the context of National Guard deployment,” when many people are already “fearful.”
While Trump himself has created an “us vs. them” mentality — declaring on Fox & Friends early Friday that the “radicals on the left are the problem” while the “radicals on the right” are not — Berkowitz says the best thing for ordinary people to do is ignore messages like that and instead “focus on where we have agency.”
The most dangerous thing to do, she says, is “giving violence a direction.”
So if Trump wants to rant about tariffs and his White House ballroom, perhaps the country should welcome that and, in the meantime, heed the advice of Utah governor Spencer Cox, who urged Americans to “choose a different path” in the wake of Kirk’s killing, even if “it feels like rage is the only option.”
Erika Kirk, the widow of rightwing activist and provocateur Charlie Kirk, said in a statement Friday evening that her late husband’s message and mission will be “stronger, bolder, louder and greater than ever” and that her “cries will echo around the world like a battle cry”.
“I loved knowing one of his mottos was ‘never surrender’,” she said of her late husband. “We’ll never surrender.”
Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of the hard-right youth organization Turning Point USA, died after being fatally shot while speaking at an event hosted at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday afternoon. The event was the first in the organization’s fall tour of college campuses. Erika Kirk said that the campus tour will continue despite her husband’s untimely death.
“In a world filled with chaos, doubt and uncertainty, my husband’s voice will remain and it will ring out louder and more clearly than ever and his wisdom will endure,” she said.
Erika Kirk, speaking from her husband’s Turning Point USA office on Friday evening, said Charlie had been killed because “he preached a message of patriotism, faith and of God’s merciful love”.
“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” Erika said. “They should all know this: if you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea what you just have unleashed across the country and this world.”
In what the organization described as her address to the nation, Erika Kirk thanked law enforcement officers and those involved in finding and arresting the suspect in her husband’s murder. Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old, was arrested on Friday in connection with the fatal shooting and is expected to be charged on Tuesday.
She also thanked JD Vance, whom she called her husband’s close friend, and Donald Trump.
“Mister President, my husband loved you and he knew that you loved him, too,” Erika Kirk said. “Your friendship was amazing.”
Erika Kirk talked at length about her husband’s Christian values, saying that if he would have run for office, his focus would have been to “revive the American family” and that he spent much of his time encouraging young people to find spouses and start families. She said the struggle he had been dedicated to was not political but “above all it is spiritual”.
“Spiritual warfare is palpable,” she said.
Using divisive language and at times bigoted rhetoric, Charlie Kirk played a crucial role in bringing young people, especially men, into the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement. He was known for his inflammatory and discriminatory views, believed in no separation between church and state and said that Democrats “stand for everything God hates”. He claimed the west was in a “spiritual battle” with “wokeism”, Marxism and Islam, and called for a total ban on transgender healthcare, described immigration from Muslim countries as “civilizational suicide”, and peddled conspiracy theories about Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
His wife used her speech to rally young people – calling out high school and college students – to continue his cause. She urged them to start or join Turning Point USA chapters at their schools.
“He wants you to make a difference and you can,” she said. “The movement is not going anywhere and it will only go stronger when you join it.”
Days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, a group of University of Maryland students gathered to support each other and mourn his death.
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U.Md. students host vigil to mourn death of Charlie Kirk
Days after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University, a group of University of Maryland students gathered to support each other and mourn his death.
They handed out fake candles and lined the rows of the Garden Chapel. Harshit Garg, who was president of the campus’ Turning Point USA chapter from 2021 to 2024, said the vigil was planned to provide a sense of closure.
“This vigil is much less for political performance,” Garg said. “It’s to honor the life that Charlie Kirk had lived, the debates that he had on campus, the openness that he had to ensuring no matter who you are, no matter where you come from or how you got to college, that you had a voice at the table.”
The vigil was planned by the university’s Turning Point USA chapter and College Republicans. It was shared on social media with the goal of “just hoping to get that conversation going,” Garg said.
The event came the same day officials announced 22-year-old Tyler Robinson had been arrested and charged in connection with Kirk’s death. Officials said Robinson told a family member he was responsible for the shooting.
Meanwhile, Marley Shaver said the vigil provided a way to show support, even though she said she didn’t agree with all of Kirk’s views.
“The video, especially, I feel like every time I go to bed, go to try to sleep, it’s all I can really see,” Shaver said.
Alex Grutzkuhn said while he didn’t admire Kirk’s work, he showed up to “give respect to the dead, give respect to his family and give respect to supporters all across America.”
A woman who asked not to be named publicly because of work restrictions said Kirk inspired her and “a lot of my generation.” She said she found out about the incident during a class.
“If we can just shoot people we don’t like, then there’s no freedom in this country,” she said.
Kirk’s death was shocking for Ben Zullo, who didn’t think “anything like that would really happen beyond important political figures, maybe presidential candidates, that seemed a little bit more normal than this.”
“I would hope … there would be a unifying issue of, we can’t stand for political violence. Something about our discourse needs to change so that violent actions like this don’t take place,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Following Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Donald Trump Jr. warned that political violence in America is coming exclusively from the far-left.
“When you look at the vilification of Charlie that I’m seeing every day since then, the celebration of his assassination in cold blood in front of his wife and young children. It’s truly disgusting,” he told anchor Martha MacCallum Friday on “The Story.” “What was Charlie’s real crime? He spoke truth. Every day, Martha, he platformed his biggest detractors. He gave the people who hated him the most an opportunity to argue their standpoint.”
Kirk’s killing at a campus event Wednesday in Orem, Utah, has sparked a nationwide conversation about political rhetoric, particularly whether referring to foes as “fascist” or “Hitler” can inspire far-left attacks. Investigators say bullet casings recovered near where Kirk was killed were engraved with anti-fascist phrases, including a reference to “Bella Ciao.”
Donald Trump Jr., who counted Kirk as a close friend, appeared visibly shaken on “The Story” as he reflected on Kirk’s legacy of activism and the aftermath of his killing.
Donald Trump Jr. counted the slain Charlie Kirk as a close friend and was visibly shaken by his loss as the nation reels from the assassination. ((Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))
“He was a threat [to the left] because he was incredibly effective in taking their narrative and destroying it,” he said, noting Kirk’s proficiency at speaking to advocate for God, family, country, the Constitution and keeping men out of women’s sports.
“These are not exactly radical concepts, although when the left realizes that they are losing arguments, they resort to this violence,” he said. “I see the constant ‘violence goes both ways,’ and it does not Martha — the violence is going one way — I have had to deal with, you know, three shootings like this to people who are really near and dear to me in the last 14 months and I’m getting sick of it.”
Trump addressed reports about engravings on cartridges believed to belong to the suspect, including a reference to the WWII-era anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao” and the taunt “Hey fascist! Catch!” He argued that when the far-left can’t win debates on ideas, it resorts to violence.
Charlie Kirk (R) speaks on stage with President Donald Trump at America Fest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 22, 2024.(Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
“Contrary to what we’re seeing elsewhere and online, it’s not going both ways,” he argued.
“It’s coming from the media, you know, some of them are doing a quick course correction and probably scrubbed their social media feeds for all the things they have said about Charlie, myself, my father over the last few years,” Trump added. “But you can’t call someone who you disagree with or simply can’t win an argument with, a ‘Nazi,’ a ‘fascist,’ a ‘dictator,’ a ‘greatest threat to democracy in the history of civilization,’ and then pretend you had nothing to do with it when the more radical wing – and there does not seem to be all that much difference to me these days – takes up arms and tries to kill those they disagree with.”
He concluded, “It’s not one way. It’s not both ways. It’s simply one way. And anyone who is saying otherwise, you know, should be thrown off the air.”
Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his arm in defiance after an assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pa. in July 2024 (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)(Getty)
The Connecticut Republican Party on Friday accused a Democratic state education official of posting a “chilling reaction” on social media to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s death.
The party shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a social media account belonging to Farmington Board of Education Chairman Bill Beckert, reposting a comment that said, “They Reap What They Sow.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Beckert for comment.
“As the official responsible for the education of Farmington’s children, you’d expect Mr. Beckert to show restraint and basic decency,” Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Ben Proto said in a statement.
“Instead, he celebrated the brutal murder of a young husband and father of two, whose only ‘crime’ was having an opinion. That is grotesque. It is a betrayal of the values every educator and public servant should embody.”
The party shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a social media account belonging to Farmington Board of Education Chairman Bill Beckert, reposting a comment that said, “They Reap What They Sow.”(Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
Proto added that Kirk’s beliefs were “grounded in faith and love of country,” and he “never called for violence.”
Proto also accused Beckert of wanting to silence those who disagree with him.
“His words read like an endorsement of political violence,” Proto wrote. “Farmington parents and taxpayers must ask themselves: is this the example they want for their children?
Charlie Kirk attends TPUSA event in Arizona in 2024. (Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images)
“Farmington deserves leadership that teaches students to win arguments with ballots, not bullets. Charlie Kirk lived that principle. Chairman Beckert’s statement shows he rejects it. The community must decide which lesson it wants its schools to teach.”
In Florida, a teacher was suspended after allegedly sharing a post on social media that said, “This may not be the obituary. We were all hoping to wake up to, but this is a close second for me.”
Farmington Board of Education Chairman Bill Beckert (Farmington Democrats)
In response, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas wrote in a memo sent out to state school superintendents this week that said the Florida Department of Education plans to investigate any teachers in the state who engage in “vile, sanctionable behavior” related to Kirk’s death.
Country singer Gavin Adcock ended his concert in an uproar, chanting “Charlie Kirk,” honoring the activist after he was assassinated Wednesday.
Adcock performed at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri, and concluded his show by acknowledging Kirk. The singer shared a video of the final moments of his Thursday night show on Instagram.
He led the crowd with a chant, shouting “Charlie Kirk,” while holding up an American flag. Adcock was shirtless, wearing only a cowboy hat and a pair of jeans, while leading the crowd.
Gavin Adcock honored Charlie Kirk at the end of his show in Missouri.(Getty Images)
He then waved the flag while the crowd led the chant.
“Jesus loves every single one of you in this place tonight. Charlie Kirk’s with Jesus. I want ya’ll to say some thoughts and prayers tonight before you go to sleep. When you lay down by yourself or by your loved one, say some prayers for somebody that needs it. I appreciate every single one of ya’ll. I hope you have a safe trip home,” he said before ending his show.
“Jesus loves every single one of you in this place tonight. Charlie Kirk’s with Jesus.”
— Gavin Adcock
He captioned the video, shared to Instagram on Friday, writing, “I didn’t get the privilege of meeting Charlie Kirk, but anybody that loves Jesus is a friend of mine.
Country singer Gavin Adcock told the crowd at his Missouri concert, “Jesus loves every single one of you in this place tonight. Charlie Kirk’s with Jesus.”(Joshua Applegate/Getty Images)
“His outspoken beliefs were not silenced 2 days ago. His voice is now stronger than ever and will make an impact for centuries. There is not a thing in the world you can say to make this better, but my thoughts and prayers go out to every single person that is hurting from this horrible tragedy.
“Always stand up for what you believe. The truth is rare nowadays.”
“His outspoken beliefs were not silenced 2 days ago. His voice is now stronger than ever and will make an impact for centuries.”
— Gavin Adcock
Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 10. He was 31.(Rebecca Nobel/AFP via Getty Images)
Adcock included the Bible verse Psalms 97:10, “You who love the LORD, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Adcock’s representative for additional comment.
Kirk, who was killed Wednesday during a speaking engagement in Orem, Utah, was a well-known conservative activist.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated during a speaking event in Utah.(Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Friday morning, Trump announced during a live appearance on “Fox & Friends” that an arrest was made in Kirk’s murder.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm and obstruction of justice charges, according to a court affidavit. A judge ordered that he be held without bail. Formal charges are expected early next week.
Anna Commander is a Newsweek Editor and writer based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on crime, weather and breaking news. She has covered weather, and major breaking news events in South Florida. Anna joined Newsweek in 2022 from The National Desk in Washington, D.C. and had previously worked at CBS12 News in West Palm Beach. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. You can get in touch with Anna by emailing a.commander@newsweek.com.
🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, spoke in a live video stream on Turning Point USA‘s account for the first time since her husband’s assassination on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
The deadly shooting two days ago targeted a high-profile conservative organizer speaking at a college campus, raising concerns of university safety protocols, political violence and security at public events.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a notable younger voice and advocate of MAGA, with a large following on social media.
What To Know
On X Friday night, Erika spoke from Charlie’s studio, thanking people who have shown her and her family love in the days after his stunning death.
“I want to thank my husband’s dear friend, Vice President [JD] Vance and his phenomenal wife Usha for their love and support. You guys honored my husband so well bringing him home,” Erika said.
Kirk’s widow also touched on Charlie’s love for America, Trump and his passion for Turning Point USA. She vowed that his mission will continue and that the campus tour scheduled for the fall will go on.
“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” Erika said.
“The movement my husband built will not die,” she added.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
Charlie Kirk, right, and his wife Erika Lane Frantzve take the stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball on January 19 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Charlie Kirk, right, and his wife Erika Lane Frantzve take the stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball on January 19 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, made her first public statement since her husband was shot and killed at a Utah event on Wednesday. Officials said the suspect was arrested on Friday. Anna Schecter, CBS News senior coordinating producer for the Crime and Public Safety Unit, reports on the latest in the investigation.
The nation’s spotlight shined on Utah this week when it became the site of one of the most public political assassinations in U.S. history.
On Wednesday, Charlie Kirk, a well-known conservative youth organizer, was shot to death in front of a crowd of 3,000 at Utah Valley University, with videos quickly circulating across the country and around the globe.
The horrific murder of Kirk, who left behind his wife, Erika, and two children under 4, embodied the spiraling political polarization that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has used his platform to call out and condemn for the past four years.
“My whole hope is that this is a catalyst to help us find that off-ramp that we desperately need,” Cox said in an interview with the Deseret News on Friday. “And I think Utah is showing the way.”
What did Gov. Cox say about Charlie Kirk?
As chair of the National Governors Association from 2023 to 2024, Cox led a “Disagree Better” initiative modeling healthy dialogue between members of opposing political parties. If the nation did not turn down the rhetorical temperature, Cox warned, political violence would increase.
With the eyes and ears of the nation focused on him at multiple press conferences this week where he took center stage, Cox highlighted Kirk’s focus on the free exchange of ideas and forgiving enemies, while also urging Americans to avoid the “cancer” of social media, to engage in debates with respect and to “stop hating our fellow Americans.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a press conference while joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and other local and federal law enforcement and government officials in the Pope Science Building on the campus of UVU in Orem on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The 2nd-term governor, whoreceivedpraisefromacrossthepoliticalspectrum for his messages, framed the tragic episode as a “watershed” moment for the country’s political system that would determine whether the U.S. would reach “the end of a dark chapter” or start “the beginning of a darker” one.
“All eyes are on Utah. This is also an opportunity to show the country a way through this,” Cox told the Deseret News. “And that way is through kindness and service to our neighbors and building our communities, and I think honoring the things that (Kirk) stood for — which are passionate debate, free speech, a competition of ideas — that go back to the very founding of our nation.”
What is Disagree Better doing now?
On Friday, the newly formed Disagree Better nonprofit group, with Cox as its chair, made its debut by directing an event at the Utah Capitol Building to show that Utah’s response to the assassination of Kirk has the potential to help prevent future political violence.
Disagree Better executive director Marianne Viray gathered with representatives from Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute, and other national bridge-building initiatives like Braver Angels, the Dignity Index and Living Room Conversations, whose leadership reside in Utah.
Marianne Viray, of Disagree Better, speaks at a Utah Bridge Builders press conference where local and national leaders respond to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
At the press conference, which was sponsored by Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Viray announced the launch of a new website, TurnToward.us, that Disagree Better’s coalition of partners put together in response to the assassination of Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA.
“Disagree better was absolutely made to be able to respond to this moment,” Viray told the Deseret News. “This tragic event of this week in Utah has elevated this message and reaching more people than it had previously.”
The new website features one dozen resources intended to help people navigate the vitriolic political environment, including lessons on building relationships with those with whom they disagree and workshops on how to find common ground with others.
Rising acceptance of political violence
Much of the reaction to Kirk’s death on social media does not point to decreasing partisan animosity. Hundreds of posts from apparently left-leaning accounts have been found celebrating the assassination of Kirk as a perceived political enemy.
Others from the right have declared that what happened to Kirk should lead to greater aggression against their ideological foes. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who considered Kirk a close political ally, said on Thursday “we just have to beat the hell” out of “radical left lunatics.”
In his interview with the Deseret News, Cox called Trump’s response “very normal” and “how most people are feeling.” The alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Washington County, did, in fact, appear to have been motivated by “a radical left ideology” that had “engulfed” him, Cox said.
These two mugshots released by the FBI show Tyler Robinson. | FBI
But the president has also indicated his desire to deescalate the nation’s recent streak of political violence, Cox said. Cox pointed out that Trump was the first person to call him after his Friday press conference to thank him for his words and to reemphasize Kirk’s message of nonviolence
However, at least portions of the country appear to becoming less interested in the message Cox has to offer.
A FIRE poll released on Tuesday found that a record one-third of college students now say that resorting to violence to stop a campus speech is acceptable — even if only rarely.
On Thursday, a YouGov poll found an astonishing partisan disparity in response to whether individuals thought it was acceptable for a person “to be happy about the death of a public figure they oppose.”
Of the nearly 4,000 respondents, 77% of Republicans said it is “always unacceptable” to be happy about the death of a public figure they oppose, compared to just 38% of Democrats who felt the same way.
At Friday’s event, the former leader of Utah Young Republicans, Zac Wilson, and current leader of Utah Young Democrats, Jack Davis, led by example in showing their peers how to cross partisan divides.
Jack Davis, of Young Democrats, center, looks at Zac Wilson, of Young Republicans, right, at a Utah Bridge Builders press conference where local and national leaders respond to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
The duo, who met as BYU students, committed to get lunch together and invest in a real friendship, despite disagreeing on almost all issues, because they agreed on one important issue: ensuring that political violence does not “take root here” and erode the “fundamental right” of free expression in Utah.
A UVU student, who was a member of Braver Angels, and two BYU students, who started the “Peacemaker Project,” joined other college students at the event, saying that Wednesday’s assassination had convinced them to redouble their efforts to make campuses a place where peaceful debate can thrive.
Is Utah prepared to respond?
Each speaker at the event, including Governing Group PAC founder Becky Edwards, and Dignity Index co-founder Tami Pyfer, said Utah was uniquely position to lead the nation after tragedy struck the Beehive State.
Marianne Viray, of Disagree Better, right, embraces Byron Russell, a founding investor and board member of Redemption Bank, left, at a Utah Bridge Builders press conference where local and national leaders respond to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, at the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
In his remarks on Friday, Cox said he had prayed that Kirk’s murderer was not a member of the Utah community, known for its unparalleled levels of social capital, charitable giving, volunteer service and religious attendance.
“I thought it would make it easier on us, if we could just say, hey, we don’t do that here,” Cox told the nation. “But it did happen here, and it was one of us.”
The fact that Kirk’s murder at the hands of a fellow Utahn felt so personal for so many Utahns is actually evidence of how strong the perception of Utah community is, according to Paul Edwards, the director of BYU’s Wheatley Institute.
Utah is unique in preserving its sense of community into the 21st century, Edwards said, and now is a time for introspection into how the state can encourage young people to see political opponents as “a person to be engaged” instead of “an object to be eradicated.”
Patrick Mason, who holds the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, also attended the event, after joining other attendees in penning a Deseret News op-ed.
He said Utah’s unique heritage as a place settled by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bound together by their love of faith, family and freedom is well-suited to respond to the events of Wednesday that rocked Utah communities.
People listen as Jason Preston, of We Are The People Utah, speaks at a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who was fatally shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at City Center Park in Orem on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
“No community anywhere in the United States is immune from the forces of polarization,” Mason told the Deseret News. “The question is not immunity, but resilience. Can we actually respond to when the virus of hate … comes in to our community? Can we produce enough antibodies in order to overtake it?”
The political assassination that occurred in Orem, Utah is the sad fulfillment of what experts said was coming if the nation’s political discourse continued to worsen, Cox told the Deseret News.
According to Cox, polarization must be addressed at the individual level. It will take more than one group, or one leader to initiate a lasting shift, and concerned citizens should not wait for an indication from a certain elected official to change their behavior, Cox said.
“As we’re celebrating 250 years, I think there really is this opportunity to remind us who we are,” Cox said. “It’s certainly an opportunity for all peacemakers in this country.”
People leave candles beneath a photo of Charlie Kirk at a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who was fatally shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at City Center Park in Orem on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Friday condemned the “ugly” and “dark” celebrations of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, noting that hundreds of leaders across party lines had reached out to him to express their sadness and disgust over the fatal shooting.
Cox — in an appearance on Fox News’ ‘Special Report’ on Friday afternoon — discussed the ongoing investigation into Kirk’s murder. The conservative activist was fatally shot during a campus event in Utah on Wednesday. Authorities have since arrested 33-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected killer, who is believed to have acted alone, Cox said.
“Theinvestigation is ongoing,” Cox said. “They’re still following every lead. … But every piece of evidence we have so far makes it very clear that the assassin acted alone.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox speaks at a press conference regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Thursday, September 11, 2025. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
Cox urged Americans to reject the cycle of political violence and noted that hundreds of Democratic officials had reached out to him to express their ‘true sadness’ and disgust at the attack. He also warned against conspiracy theories spreading online and called celebratory reactions to Kirk’s death “so ugly and so dark.”
“Those violent images that we saw are just terrible,” Cox said. “We’re not conditioned for that type of information. … We’ve lost too much of our humanity, and it happens in those dark corners of social media. … We just have to find a way to disconnect from that.”
The Utah governor, who had spoken with Kirk’s family and described their grief as “devastating,” said the suspected shooter’s actions were motivated by hatred toward the Turning Point USA founder and his beliefs.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk debates with students during his American Comeback Tour stop at CSUN in Northridge, California, on March 6, 2025.( BENJAMIN HANSON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is an assault on not just him, but on all of us,” Cox said. “It is an insult on the very fabric of our country, of our democratic republic, of our ability to speak freely. And we cannot take that lightly.”
While the investigation remains ongoing, Cox said authorities believe the shooter carried the rifle onto the rooftop before the attack rather than assembling it there. After the shooting, Robinson allegedly tried to hide the weapon in the woods wrapped in a towel, where police recovered it later that evening.
The booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.(Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
When asked about the video in which the suspect appeared to be walking with a limp, Cox said it was a “very distinct possibility” that the rifle had been concealed in his clothing. Evidence — including the round that struck Kirk — is still being processed, he said.
Cox also reaffirmed that Utah prosecutors will pursue the death penalty if Robinson is convicted, noting that he believes Kirk’s family should be central in the legal process.
“What I will also say is that we believe very strongly that the victims need to play a role in these conversations,” he said. “I want to make sure that in these conversations it’s not about me, it really is about the Kirk family — Erica, and their kids, and Charlie’s parents, his sister — all of the family,”
Sophia Compton is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
False claims, conspiracy theories and posts naming people with no connection to the incident spread rapidly across social media in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing on Wednesday, some amplified and fueled by AI tools.
CBS News identified 10 posts by Grok, X’s AI chatbot, that misidentified the suspect before his identity, now known to be southern Utah resident Tyler Robinson, was released. Grok eventually generated a response saying it had incorrectly identified the suspect, but by then, posts featuring the wrong person’s face and name were already circulating across X.
The chatbot also generated altered “enhancements” of photos released by the FBI. One such photo was reposted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Utah, which later posted an update saying, “this appears to be an AI enhanced photo” that distorted the clothing and facial features.
One AI-enhanced image portrayed a man appearing much older than Robinson, who is 22. An AI-generated video that smoothed out the suspect’s features and jumbled his shirt design was posted by an X user with more than 2 million followers and was reposted thousands of times.
On Friday morning, after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced that the suspect in custody was Robinson, Grok’s replies to X users’ inquiries about him were contradictory. One Grok post said Robinson was a registered Republican, while others reported he was a nonpartisan voter. Voter registration records indicate Robinson is not affiliated with a political party.
CBS News also identified a dozen instances where Grok said that Kirk was alive the day following his death. Other Grok responses gave a false assassination date, labeled the FBI’s reward offer a “hoax” and said that reports about Kirk’s death “remain conflicting” even after his death had been confirmed.
Most generative AI tools produce results based on probability, which can make it challenging for them to provide accurate information in real time as events unfold, S. Shyam Sundar, a professor at Penn State University and the director of the university’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, told CBS News.
“They look at what is the most likely next word or next passage,” Sundar said. “It’s not based on fact checking. It’s not based on any kind of reportage on the scene. It’s more based on the likelihood of this event occurring, and if there’s enough out there that might question his death, it might pick up on some of that.”
X did not respond to a request for comment about the false information Grok was posting.
Meanwhile, the AI-powered search engine Perplexity’s X bot described the shooting as a “hypothetical scenario” in a since-deleted post, and suggested a White House statement on Kirk’s death was fabricated.
Perplexity’s spokesperson told CBS News that “accurate AI is the core technology we are building and central to the experience in all of our products,” but that “Perplexity never claims to be 100% accurate.”
Another spokesperson added the X bot is not up to date with improvements the company has made to its technology, and the company has since removed the bot from X.
Google’s AI Overview, a summary of search results that sometimes appears at the top of searches, also provided inaccurate information. The AI Overview for a search late Thursday evening for Hunter Kozak, the last person to ask Kirk a question before he was killed, incorrectly identified him as the person of interest the FBI was looking for. By Friday morning, the false information no longer appeared for the same search.
“The vast majority of the queries seeking information on this topic return high quality and accurate responses,” a Google spokesperson told CBS News. “Given the rapidly evolving nature of this news, it’s possible that our systems misinterpreted web content or missed some context, as all Search features can do given the scale of the open web.”
Sundar told CBS News that people tend to perceive AI as being less biased or more reliable than someone online who they don’t know.
“We don’t think of machines as being partisan or bias or wanting to sow seeds of dissent,” Sundar said. “If it’s just a social media friend or some somebody on the contact list that’s sent something on your feed with unknown pedigree … chances are people trust the machine more than they do the random human.”
Misinformation may also be coming from foreign sources, according to Cox, Utah’s governor, who said in a press briefing on Thursday that foreign adversaries including Russia and China have bots that “are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence.” Cox urged listeners to spend less time on social media.
“I would encourage you to ignore those and turn off those streams, and to spend a little more time with our families,” he said.
Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, is set to speak Friday evening for the first time since her husband’s death.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University. He was speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” debate, where he invites students to challenge his political and cultural views.
Erika Kirk, 36, was born in Arizona and graduated from Arizona State University. She also played NCAA women’s basketball for Regis University in Colorado, according to her biography on her website.
Vice President JD Vance (R) second lady Usha Vance (C) and Erika Kirk deplane Air Force Two while escorting the body of Charlie Kirk on September 11, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Eric Thayer / Getty Images
She won the Miss Arizona USA title in 2012 and later earned a Juris Master’s degree in American Legal Studies from Liberty University in 2017. She is currently studying for a doctorate in Biblical studies at Liberty University, her website says.
Erika Kirk began dating Charlie Kirk in 2018 and they married in 2021. The couple had two children: a 1-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.
Erika Kirk founded Proclaim, a faith-based clothing line, and hosts a podcast, “Midweek Rise Up,” according to her website.
How to watch Erika Kirk’s remarks
What: Erika Kirk to make first public address since Charlie Kirk shooting
Date: Friday, Sept. 12
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above or on your mobile or streaming device
The assassination of Charlie Kirk is the latest violent incident to spark safety concerns for lawmakers on Capitol Hill. As congressional members head home for the weekend, some have canceled outdoor events, and others are reviewing security practices. Nikole Killion reports from Washington.
How the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect was apprehended – CBS News
Watch CBS News
New details have emerged about what led up to the arrest of a 22-year-old man in connection with the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Scott MacFarlane has more.
FBI searches childhood home of Charlie Kirk killing suspect – CBS News
Watch CBS News
FBI personnel on Friday executed a search warrant at the childhood home of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. CBS News reporter Andres Gutierrez has the latest.
