The wife of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Friday said her husband was a good man who wanted to be remembered for his courage and faith and vowed that his movement will continue.
Speaking for the first time publicly since her husband was fatally shot Wednesday at Utah Valley University, Erika Kirk called those responsible for his death evil.
“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said. “They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith and of God’s merciful love.”
“If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea,” she continued. “You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world. You have no idea. You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
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Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck with a rifle fired from a rooftop during the event at the university in Orem.
Authorities believe the suspect, a 22-year-old Utah resident, acted alone, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said.
Erika Kirk spoke on video with the title “Charlie Kirk’s beloved wife, Mrs. Erika Kirk addresses the Nation,” which was shown on social media pages of Turning Point USA, the group her husband co-founded.
She thanked the law enforcement officers whose efforts led to the arrest of the suspect and the first responders who she said worked heroically to try to save her husband’s life.
She said Charlie Kirk “was the perfect father … the perfect husband.”
“I will never, ever have the words to describe the loss that I feel in my heart,” she said. “I honestly have no idea what any of this means. I know that God does, but I don’t.”
The suspect, Tyler Robinson, was arrested Friday in Washington County.
Robinson’s father reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, who then notified other officials, according to two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
The sheriff’s office contacted the sheriff of Utah County, where the killing occurred, and Robinson turned himself in and was arrested, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said.
Mason said that he believes investigators would have tracked down Robinson even had he not surrendered.
“I have no idea what his mind-set was, why he turned himself in,” Mason said. “What I can speak to, is I’m confident that the process we were using, the leads we were developing and the information that was coming in — we would have apprehended him.”
Kirk’s killing was met with furious condemnation, including by President Donald Trump. The assassination sparked questions about the nature of political discourse, including online where some who disagreed with Kirk celebrated his killing, and others on the right called for “civil war.”
Trump said Thursday that he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Erika Kirk on Friday thanked Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance. She said that JD Vance was a dear friend of her husband. Charlie Kirk was a close Trump ally and he played an influential role in helping Vance rise in national politics.
Charlie Kirk was the father of two young children. His wife said that on Thursday night, their 3-year-old daughter asked, “where’s Daddy?”
“How do you tell a 3-year-old? She’s 3,” she said. “I said baby, Daddy loves you so much. Don’t you worry, he’s on a work trip with Jesus so he can afford your blueberry budget.”
She said that Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk’s radio show and podcast will continue, and that a fall campus tour will go on. She said her heart was with her husband’s employees “who lost a friend and a mentor.”
“My husband’s mission will not end, not even for a moment,” Erika Kirk said.
