PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Temple University College Republicans held a vigil to remember Charlie Kirk Thursday night, where members spoke out against political violence.
Kirk, a conservative activist and the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Wednesday while speaking at an event at a Utah college.
A vigil was held at Gladfelter Hall on Temple’s campus and open to students, alumni and anyone who wished to attend.
“We just wanted to have a small vigil for ourselves where we could not just mourn but celebrate his life,” William Walker, chair of the Temple University College Republicans, told NBC10.
In a statement, the group called Kirk a “role model and even a mentor. A generational youth leader and a voice for freedom, faith and values.”
Walker said he is now more concerned when it comes to political discourse, saying it “feels like the temperature has been turned up.”
Kirk, 31, was a well-known podcaster and ally of President Donald Trump. He led an effort to remake the GOP’s get-out-the-vote effort in the 2024 election based on the theory that there were thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to vote.
His killing is the latest example of political violence in the U.S., spanning a range of political ideologies and affecting both major political parties.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was a victim of political violence in April, after he and his family held a Passover seder. A man broke into the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg and set a fire that caused significant damage. Shapiro and his family were safely evacuated.
At a separate event on Thursday, Shapiro echoed a similar sentiment in the wake of Kirk’s death. He said political violence can leave not only physical scars, but mental ones.
“I have heard over the last 24 hours, sadly, the rhetoric of vengeance coming from too many people in our political discourse. We need words of healing right now. We need actions that bring about healing right now,” Shapiro said.
“I can attest to that when the governor’s residence was firebombed after my family and I and the community completed our Passover seder just a few months ago,” he continued. “This kind of political violence not only leaves scars on the individuals impacted, it is harming society. It’s leaving scars on all of us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.