As the nationwide manhunt continues for person who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, communities across Chicagoland paused on Thursday to remember the Arlington Heights native.

A patriotic group came out in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood on Chicago's Southwest Side for a vigil.

"There's no room in America for hate of any kind of any person," one woman said.

With candles and heavy hearts, they prayed for the soul of Charlie Kirk and his family.

While many might not have agreed with Kirk's political views, they said they his murder should shake everyone.

"Right, left, where ever you are, somebody was murdered. That's it. We're not that kind of country, right? We have to talk. Lets talk, that's all," Therese Sherwood said.

Sherwood met Kirk in 2021 at an Illinois fundraiser, and recalled his poise and 6-foot-5 stature.

"Whether you believe in what he was saying, let's have a debate, and that's the problem with our country," she said.

Kirk was in Utah at one of his campus events where he would debate people on political views – often asking people to "Prove Me Wrong" through dialogue – when shot him with a rifle, killing the 31-year-co-founder of Turning Point USA, one of the largest conservative youth grassroots groups in the nation.

"His impact on American youth cannot be overstated. He gave countless students the confidence to stand tall in their beliefs," Andy Gowen said.

In addition to the vigil in Mount Greenwood, a similar memorial was held in west suburban Lemont.