Hundreds gathered Sunday evening at the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse for a vigil for political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Sept. 10 in Utah.
Many attendees carried American flags and donned Make America Great Again hats and merchandise for Turning Point USA, Kirk’s conservative advocacy group that aims to mobilize young conservatives.
Trevor Topping, one of the organizers, said he was surprised that no one on the Peninsula had organized an event to remember Kirk. Across the country, vigils and celebrations of Kirk’s life have garnered thousands of attendees. Last week, a vigil at the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach also attracted hundreds.
Topping said in the days following the shooting, he had many friends call to discuss Kirk’s death, and some were even brought to tears, he said. He said Kirk’s ability to organize young people around conservative values inspired him to get the ball rolling on a Peninsula event.
“He’s the greatest mind of my generation, in my opinion, and (I admire) the way that he approached his faith, his purpose in life,” Topping said. “He was leading by his faith and being a great husband, you name it, and he was ultimately leading millions of young adults to God and to love their country.”
Before the local vigil began, many attendees were live-streaming Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, featuring President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Kirk’s wife, Erika, as speakers.
Speakers at the Williamsburg event highlighted Kirk’s faith, and attendees said his death should be a call to action. Faith leaders at the event said Kirk bolstered Christianity in the United States, and attendees could register to vote and leave their contact information for future organized events.
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A spectator holds a sign in support of Charlie Kirk with the hundreds that attended a memorial vigil for Charlie Kirk at the James City County Courthouse in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Sept. 21, 2025. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)
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A spectator holds a sign in support of Charlie Kirk with the hundreds that attended a memorial vigil for Charlie Kirk at the James City County Courthouse in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Sept. 21, 2025. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)
Josiah VanFleet, another organizer, said he was compelled to get people in Williamsburg together after several acts of violence in the past few weeks. He said Kirk’s death as well as the shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis and the death of a woman on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, sparked difficult conversations with his family.
“I’m just like, ‘Man, we got to do something. We got to do something.’ It’s hit us hard, not just adults. As parents, we’ve had to have just these conversations with our children that I know we wish we wouldn’t have to have.”
Eliza Noe, [email protected]