The spouse of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Friday mentioned her husband was a superb man who wished to be remembered for his braveness and religion and vowed that his motion will proceed.
Talking for the primary time publicly since her husband was fatally shot Wednesday at Utah Valley College, Erika Kirk referred to as these liable for his loss of life evil.
“The evildoers liable for my husband’s assassination don’t know what they’ve performed,” she mentioned. “They killed Charlie as a result of he preached a message of patriotism, religion and of God’s merciful love.”
“When you thought that my husband’s mission was highly effective earlier than, you haven’t any concept,” she continued. “You don’t have any concept what you simply have unleashed throughout this whole nation and this world. You don’t have any concept. You don’t have any concept the hearth that you’ve got ignited inside this spouse. The cries of this widow will echo world wide like a battle cry.”
Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot within the neck with a rifle fired from a rooftop throughout the occasion on the college in Orem.
Authorities imagine the suspect, a 22-year-old Utah resident, acted alone, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox mentioned.
Erika Kirk spoke on video with the title “Charlie Kirk’s beloved spouse, Mrs. Erika Kirk addresses the Nation,” which was proven on social media pages of Turning Level USA, the group her husband co-founded.
She thanked the legislation enforcement officers whose efforts led to the arrest of the suspect and the primary responders who she mentioned labored heroically to attempt to save her husband’s life.
She mentioned Charlie Kirk “was the proper father … the proper husband.”
“I’ll by no means, ever have the phrases to explain the loss that I really feel in my coronary heart,” she mentioned. “I truthfully don’t know what any of this implies. I do know that God does, however I don’t.”
The suspect within the killing, Tyler Robinson, was arrested Friday in Washington County.
Robinson’s father reached out to a household pal who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace, who then notified different officers, in response to two senior legislation enforcement officers briefed on the investigation.
The sheriff’s workplace contacted the sheriff of Utah County, the place the killing occurred, and Robinson turned himself in and was arrested, Utah Division of Public Security Commissioner Beau Mason mentioned.
Mason mentioned that he believes investigators would have tracked down Robinson even had he not surrendered.
“I don’t know what his mind-set was, why he turned himself in,” Mason mentioned. “What I can converse to, is I’m assured that the method we had been utilizing, the leads we had been growing and the knowledge that was coming in — we’d have apprehended him.”
Kirk’s killing was met with livid condemnation, together with by President Donald Trump. The assassination sparked questions in regards to the nature of political discourse, together with on-line the place some who disagreed with Kirk celebrated his killing, and others on the appropriate referred to as for “civil battle.”
Trump mentioned Thursday that he’ll posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Erika Kirk on Friday thanked Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second woman Usha Vance. She mentioned that JD Vance was an expensive pal of her husband. Charlie Kirk was a detailed Trump ally and he performed an influential position in serving to Vance rise in nationwide politics.
Charlie Kirk was the daddy of two younger kids. His spouse mentioned that on Thursday evening, their 3-year-old daughter requested, “the place’s Daddy?”
“How do you inform a 3-year-old? She’s 3,” she mentioned. “I mentioned child, Daddy loves you a lot. Don’t you are concerned, he’s on a piece journey with Jesus so he can afford your blueberry funds.”
She mentioned that Turning Level USA and Charlie Kirk’s radio present and podcast will proceed, and {that a} fall campus tour will go on. She mentioned her coronary heart was along with her husband’s staff “who misplaced a pal and a mentor.”
“My husband’s mission is not going to finish, not even for a second,” Erika Kirk mentioned.
