Vigil for Charlie Kirk held in alleged gunman's Utah hometown draws hundreds of mourners

Hundreds gathered Sunday night in the Utah hometown of alleged gunman Tyler Robinson to honor Charlie Kirk mourn with his family and acknowledge the pain of Robinson s relatives Organizer Jordan Hess advised the crowd he was deeply moved by their attendance I m grateful that everyone felt the desire and the need to be here in the spirit of area tonight he disclosed clearly emotional Hess announced the event was organized to celebrate who we are as Americans and to mourn We gather at present not as Democrats or Republicans not as left or right not as different races or believers of different religions but as citizens of the greatest majority of enduring experiment of self-government that the world has ever known CHARLIE KIRK'S FRIEND URGES MOURNERS TO 'GO BACK TO CHURCH' FOLLOWING ACTIVIST'S KILLINGHe noted the vigil was also about mourning Kirk s life mourning for his family the family of the alleged shooter the students who witnessed the tragedy and mourning what this moment threatens to say about the state of our union Whether or not people agreed with Kirk s beliefs one truth remains he was an American a citizen a son a husband and maybe largest part importantly a voice He bravely used his voice to advocate for things he thought in faith family and freedom Hess explained He added that political assassination is not just the taking of life it is the attempted murder of dialogue imploring that people should be able to disagree passionately without destroying one another UTAH LEADERS URGE UNITY FOLLOWING CHARLIE KIRK'S ASSASSINATION 'TURNING POINT FOR AMERICA'Attendee Taylor Crosby narrated Fox News Digital that he decided to come to the vigil because the current attack on free speech is something that should motivate the entire country to come together because when we can't speak our mind that's the death of democracy at that point So something necessities to change and I want to be the change that we want to see in the world Although he didn t agree with Kirk on everything Crosby declared he respected his opinions and that he fought for what he presumed in Crosby explained he didn t know the Robinson family but had heard he was involved in a socialist group in the area UTAH STUDENTS LIFT VOICES IN PRAYER AT VIGIL FOR CHARLIE KIRK S CHRISTIAN LEGACY 'FELT CALLED BY GOD' And I've had friends that are part of that group and a lot of them are just filled with hate and vitriol he disclosed I've gotten blocked and removed as friends for having opinions as basic as having a dividing line and not letting in unlimited numbers of movers So there s definitely a wide extreme of people in this area Anywhere from people who will come to sponsorship free speech to people who will demonize you for having an opinion that of the population believes in So it's tough Jesse Wilkinson stood quietly in the crowd wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word Freedom For Wilkinson a part-time firefighter from St George who now lives in Washington Utah showing up was about more than politics I just sought to endorsement my public he explained I know we re going through a hard time with the alleged shooter being from here and everything I grew up in St George I just required to be supportive and share my love and encouragement for all those that are mourning especially the Kirk family as well as the Robinson family I know they re going through a really hard time Wilkinson commented he became a firefighter out of a desire to serve and Kirk s death struck him deeply VIGILS HELD ACROSS US AFTER ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK 'WE MUST HEAL' I think he was an amazing amazing man He was having an amazing impact I admire the man and I know his voice will echo forever He also framed the tragedy as an attack not just on Kirk but on the freedoms he stood for If we re silent that s what s going to cause violence We need to come together we need to talk and agree to disagree he revealed echoing Kirk s words about open debate Even his shirt carried meaning The freedom design a gift from his mother was a subtle nod to Kirk s style and the values he represented We re the greatest country on the face of the planet and we have amazing freedoms Wilkinson commented For him the vigil was about honoring Kirk standing with neighbors and recommitting to the principles of dialogue and freedom Kevin Holyoak shared a similar message He narrated Fox News Digital the evening was a time for reflection adding that the country is going through tough times and urging people to respect differing beliefs CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING LEADS TO OUTPOURING FROM UTAH OFFICERS NOMS ON BOTH SIDES It s better to talk through things as opposed to taking measures into your own hands that harm somebody else he revealed noting that violence runs against the values America was built on A fan of Kirk Holyoak described him as an inspiring young person that got it real early He admired how Kirk listened to opposing opinions treated people with respect and encouraged open conversation I just think we all need to act that way he mentioned For him the vigil was about honoring Kirk s legacy while urging the society and the country to return to dialogue over conflict Utah Tech University President Shane Smeed informed mourners the vigil was a moment for unity and healing Speaking personally and not in his official role Smeed called the past week an incredibly hard tragic week and urged the society to lean on faith instead of fear He reflected on the meaning of unity describing it as harmony and oneness and used the image of Canadian geese flying in formation to illustrate how individuals assistance one another and what happens when one falls behind True unity he commented means ensuring no one is left alone To be peacemakers we have to strive to remove contention and hate in our lives Smeed declared He closed with a prayer for peace reminding the area that healing would come only through choosing dialogue compassion and unity