Fellow Republicans, friends remember Charlie Kirk, shot and killed while speaking at university event in Utah
Reactions continue to pour in following the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk. He was shot and killed while speaking at an event on Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University.
Kirk, 31, rose to be one of the biggest voices on conservative platforms, but he got his start in Illinois organizing even as a student at Wheeling High School in the northern suburbs.
On Wednesday, he was throwing hats to the crowd before his event. He would be killed by a single shot while answering questions from attendees at an event on the university's campus in front of an estimated 3,000 attendees, including a gunman in dark clothing on a distant rooftop.
Fellow Republican Aaron Del Mar considers Charlie Kirk a longtime friend, recalled meeting Kirk when the driven junior at Wheeling High School asked him to attend an event he'd organized.
"He built that brand, and he built his social media presence, and he built his messaging. And did it in a way that appealed to younger viewers," De Mar said.
He said no one wanted to believe what happened to Kirk.
"He was following politics religiously. When you and I would be thinking about who are we going to dance with, who are we dating, who are we going out that night, Charlie was just this little, young, eager political nerd," Former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh said.
Walsh said Kirk was like a son to him, until the two fell out over Kirk's support of Donald Trump.
University of Chicago Professor Robert Pape said he's been watching a rising tide of political assassination attempts and expects things will only worsen unless certain steps are taken—specifically a unanimous chorus of Democrats condemning the killing and a united Republican call for restraint.
"We need to put as much energy into ending political violence as we do running for office. And if we don't, we're gonna have a lot more political violence," Pape said.
De Mar said he believed Kirk left a legacy in his Turning Point USA.
The school district said as a graduate, Kirk will always remain a part of their community, adding that violence is never acceptable.