KU students remember Charlie Kirk at intimate candlelight vigil
A young woman knelt silently beneath a tree in the valley near the University of Kansas’ memorial Campanile Thursday evening, rosary beads clasped in her hands.
Nearby, a swath of people dressed mostly in red, white and blue gathered in a circle, many holding American flags, for a small, intimate ceremony remembering the life of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck and killed Wednesday in what officials say was a targeted attack as he spoke from a small white tent at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
The University of Kansas previously hosted Kirk’s “Live Free Tour” on April 3, 2024. He had been scheduled to speak at the University of Missouri on September 29.
Police in Utah recovered the suspected shooter’s older-model Mauser 30-06 caliber, high-powered, bolt-action rifle in a wooded area nearby the Utah Valley University campus, Reuters reported.
As of Thursday evening, investigators had identified a person of interest in Kirk’s death but no arrest warrant had been issued, according to reporting from CBS News.
A quiet, intimate vigil
The remembrance at KU, hosted by the university’s Turning Point USA chapter, saw dozens of students and community members alike turn out for an intimate candlelight vigil Thursday near the memorial Campanile.
Four university police officers supervised the event, setting up what appeared to be a sort of perimeter surrounding the group. Reporters were not allowed to get close to the vigil.
Members of KU’s chapter of Turning Point USA previously told a Star reporter that they were advised not to speak with members of the media.
Vigils mourning Kirk have sprouted up at other universities across the nation, including at the University of Missouri, the University of Oklahoma, Duke University and the University of Alabama, among others.
“Nobody should have to endure this, no matter what your political party,” Paige Schulte, president of Turning Point’s Mizzou chapter previously told The Star. “I just really wish we wouldn’t kill each other because of our political beliefs. Right now, we need Jesus more than ever.”
Kirk held conservative beliefs
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was known for his promotion of a politically conservative ideology and has friendship with President Donald Trump. He was a strong proponent of the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and was discussing the issue of mass shootings with an attendee at his event in Utah when the fatal shot rang out.
At a 2023 Turning Point USA event, Kirk said, “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
The FBI released video surveillance images of the suspected shooter. Authorities have stated they believe the shooter fired from a nearby rooftop.
The Star’s Eric Adler contributed reporting.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 6:38 AM.
