On Sept. 17, the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter at UNR held a vigil for the late Charlie Kirk, a controversial right-wing media personality and activist who founded TPUSA in 2012. Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
A large crowd gathered for the vigil in front of the Joe Crowley Student Union, with attendees who sported ‘Make America Great Again’ hats and others donning the American flag.
The president of TPUSA UNR, Aubree Gearhart, delivered opening comments before handing the mic over to Phil McKay, a priest at Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks.
McKay, who had been visited by Kirk at his church, said, “Make no mistake, we have lost a powerful voice for truth and conservative values.”
During Kirk’s visit to the church, McKay recalls Kirk saying that he “didn’t fear the left, and the reason that he didn’t fear them is because they’re people who needed the truth, and we have that truth.”
McKay then led the crowd in prayer, asking attendees to think of Erica Kirk and the two children she shared with Charlie. The crowd held their heads down as McKay recited Bible verses.
Mark Pingle, a faculty advisor for TPUSA UNR and an economics professor, shared his remarks as well, mentioning seeing Kirk when he visited UNR for the first time in 2019.
“I left that event amazed,” Pingle said. “What I saw was not a racist, not a homophobe, a xenophobe, an X, Y, Z-ophobe. I saw someone who had a terrific command at age 25 of the English language.”
Critics have said that Kirk’s activism often included bigoted views. He was known for sharing controversial opinions, such as posting on Instagram that the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory “is not a conspiracy theory, it’s a reality.”
Pingle further commented, “He had relevant facts at his disposal, a mind for facts in history and at present, like few have,” after which Gearhart came up to speak again.
“I had the honor of meeting Charlie in October of last year,” Gearhart said. “Charlie is not only one of the kindest people that I have ever met, but also a huge inspiration to me.”
Nicholas Murray, the other faculty advisor, was then invited on stage to give his remarks.
“For days, I have grieved his death,” Murray said. “I barely sometimes found the strength to come here, teach, see my patients and do my job. There were so many times where my composure was broken and I had to step away.”
The gathering ended with Murray leading participants in raising their phone flashlights, mimicking a candlelight vigil. Various people in the crowd shared the emotions that surged through them after the vigil concluded.
Kailey Fitzpatrick, a 20-year-old EMT, shared what Kirk’s passing meant to her.
“I feel this overwhelming grief like I knew him, like he was a friend or a mentor,” Fitzpatrick said, adding, “Despite this tragedy, we’ve all been united, and this is giving us courage to stand up and fight for what we believe in.”
Others shared similar stories, with some coming from Carson City to attend the vigil.
One such attendee is Beckham Harrison, who along with Ryder Beardsley, held American flags up during the candlelight-style vigil.
Harrison shared that his brother was at the shooting when it occurred, which made it feel like he “lost a close one.”
Harrison continued, “The people who want to ban [guns] are the ones using them for evil. You don’t see or hear about conservatives going out and shooting people.” He later added that “the blue states are very much more violent.”
A 2024 study from the National Institute of Justice provides contrasting evidence, finding that “far-right attacks continue to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism.”
After Kirk’s assassination, the study no longer exists on the federally-owned NIJ website, raising questions about the timing of its removal.
The attendees of TPUSA UNR’s vigil slowly dispersed after an hour of remarks, leaving with a newfound motivation to continue Kirk’s mission.
Malory Shaw can be reached via email at malorynshaw@gmail.com.
