Utah vigils held for commentator Charlie Kirk

Bouquets of flowers, tealights and small American flags surrounded a Timpanogos Regional Hospital sign Wednesday evening.

And about 45 minutes north in Salt Lake City, a handful of state lawmakers hosted a separate vigil at the Utah Capitol Wednesday night.

Both crowds gathered to mourn the death of Charlie Kirk.

About 100 people gathered outside the Orem Hospital to honor the conservative political commentator, who was fatally shot as he spoke hours earlier at Utah Valley University.

In Orem, a motorcade of marked and unmarked police cars, led by two motorcycle officers flashing their lights, left the hospital just before 8 p.m. People waved flags and cheered, “We love you, Charlie,” as the coroner’s van drove away.

“God bless you, Charlie,” one man said as the motorcade passed.

While officers had blocked off access to the hospital’s parking lots, people stood at the corner of Canyon Parkway and 800 West waving flags, despite the dark clouds rolling in.

In murmured conversations, people shared recollections of how they learned of Kirk being shot.

They carried signs in tribute of Kirk, some mentioning his wife Erika. Sydney, a teary-eyed woman, had a sign that read, “Thank you for giving so much.” Another read, “Always remembered, never forgotten.”

A constant soundtrack of honking horns played from cars moving by. One driver in a white Tesla drove by waving an American flag out the window.

People brought drinks and snacks to share. Jenny Hamby and her husband, Seth Hamby, had been at Kirk’s speech at UVU and came to the hospital Wednesday evening.

“He showed up for what he believed in, and he always would do the hard thing,” Jenny Hamby said.

All day, she said, she had been reliving the moment they heard the gunshot and thinking about how his wife must have felt. That’s why the couple came to the hospital: to support him and his family.

“I want them to know that they made such an impact that people they don’t even know are willing to show up for them,” Jenny Hamby said.

“You wouldn’t think that Utah, out of all the places that he has been, would be dangerous for him,” Seth Hamby said, ” … because Utah kind of aligns with his political beliefs.”

Kish North, who founded the group Utah Patriots, organized and led the vigil. “Our hearts are very heavy,” he said.

He led the crowd in a prayer before they sang “Amazing Grace.” People wiped tears and cupped flickering candles in the evening wind.

“I was very angry all day long, as many of you are,” North said. “For me and my family, I’ve had enough. I won’t stand for this anymore.”

‘I am Charlie’

Additional mourners gathered at the Capitol vigil hosted by state lawmakers Wednesday night. About 200 people, according to Utah Highway Patrol, gathered in the Capitol Rotunda for the event.

Several state representatives offered remarks in remembrance of Kirk, including Reps. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, Tiara Auxier, R-Morgan and Jake Sawyer, R-West Haven. Former House Minority Leader Brian King, who now serves as the chair of the Utah Democratic Party, gave a closing prayer.

“The senseless violence that took Charlie’s life today is a heartbreaking attempt to silence a bold voice for truth, but it will not succeed,” Lisonbee told the crowd. “Charlie’s unwavering commitment to the sanctity of life … faith, family and freedom cannot be extinguished.”

In her remarks, the lawmaker compared Kirk to John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

“This assassination will go down in the annals of history like Martin Luther King and JFK as the shock heard around the world and a turning point in America,” she said, referring to Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA. The comment inspired applause and cheers throughout the crowd.

Kirk, in 2023, said King was “awful” and “not a good person,” and said he thought “[w]e made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”

Auxier, in her remarks, said, “The word martyr just means that you are willing to die for what you believe in, and I think that’s what took place here in Utah today.”

“We had a young man that was full of passion, full of love, and he loved his country, he loved his family, and he was willing to live for them,” Auxier added, “but not only that, he was willing to die for them.”

Following King’s closing prayer, the crowd broke into a series of chants, including “I am Charlie,” and “Prove me wrong,” referring to the title of one of Kirk’s popular debate events. The group then sang a series of songs, including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” “Amazing Grace,” “America the Beautiful,” “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.”

Many attendees wore hats and clothing in support of President Donald Trump and Turning Point USA. Several attendees wore pro-Second Amendment gear, and one man wore a T-shirt that read “White Lives Matter” across the back.

As the vigil went on, a couple took wedding photos on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda, a popular spot for local couples. Outside, a crowd gathered to go yoga on the lawn (although Auxier said yoga had been canceled).

Asked about Kirk’s history as a strong Second Amendment supporter, Lisonbee — herself a pro-gun rights lawmaker — said she felt Utah’s “strong self-defense laws” were “one of the reasons that Utah is such a strong state” and why “we have had very few instances of gun violence like this.”

“Criminals are on notice if they want to come here and enact violence that we are not going to put up with them,” she said. “Utah is a state of law and order.”

In a text message following the vigil Wednesday night, Auxier said she believed the message Kirk would want shared in the wake of his death was that “Jesus Christ lives.”

“We can turn to our savior for comfort in times of tragedy like this, and how wonderful it is that we know Christ paid the ultimate price for us,” she added, “and we know exactly where Charlie Kirk is today.”