Roughly 100 community members attended a candlelight vigil held by OU Turning Point USA on the South Oval Wednesday night to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was assassinated Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University during an outdoor event as part of his “The American Comeback Tour.” Roughly two hours after Kirk was shot, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social confirming the activist’s death.

Kalib Magana, OU Turning Point USA president, opened the vigil speaking about Kirk’s lasting impact on college students. 

Attendees lit candles, passing flames to each person, while they sang “America the Beautiful.” 

Anthony Diulio, former chair of OU College Republicans, said the vigil was a sweet ending to a tragic day. He said the event illustrated the impact Kirk had on college students.

“It is an absolute tragedy, and it will be interesting to see where, how our country moves on from this,” Diulio said.

Parker Crawley, chair of OU College Republicans, said the vigil was well done, powerful and moving. He said he hopes Kirk will inspire Americans to hold peaceful debates over differences in opinion rather than turning to violence.

“We have a choice in America. Do we continue down this extremist path, or do we try to have a healthy debate like Charlie Kirk would have wanted us to?” Crawley asked. “It's sad to see that the leader of that movement, of having debates in free forums like college campuses, was assassinated today.”

Aaron Newman, a marketing sophomore, said he’s been watching Kirk’s videos since 2022 and he quickly became his favorite political commentator. He said he attended the vigil to express how much Kirk meant to him.

“He changed my life,” Newman said. “He's the reason why I'm a conservative. He's the reason why I believe what I believe. And above all, he was a good man. He didn't deserve to get his life taken from him.”

Many students in attendance said Kirk was one of the reasons they hold Republican values. McKenna Cash, an interior design graduate student, said she was inspired by his work.

“He's a very big name that a lot of young people, like all of the students here tonight, were inspired by (him),” Cash said. “One person tonight said that they were brought to follow the Republican values because of him. … He touched a lot of us, obviously, and he will be missed.”

Others said Kirk inspired them to be more outspoken about their beliefs. Junior architecture student Fancy Jaja said she used to be very reserved, but Kirk helped her become more confident.

“I was scared to open up about my views and values but as time went on, I discovered Charlie Kirk, and he stood for basically everything I believed in,” Jaja said. “I want to be like him someday. I want to continue fighting for what he started.”

Antonio Ingle Fernandez, a sophomore meteorology student, said he didn’t agree with everything Kirk believed, but he admired Kirk’s willingness to have open dialogue.

Fernandez said he started to see Kirk’s views change as he spoke to more people, which he hadn’t seen any other political commentators do.

“I never really fully agreed with Charlie, especially when it came to like foreign policy, … he's always been willing to have open dialogue with people who vehemently disagree with him,” Fernandez said. “I respect the hell out of that.” 

An OU spokesperson wrote in a statement to the Daily that the university was saddened by Kirk’s death and condemned the act of violence.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless violence that took the life of Charlie Kirk and unequivocally condemn it. We extend our condolences to his family, friends, and all who are grieving this loss,” the spokesperson wrote. “The safety and security of our campus community is our highest priority, and we continuously review and implement measures to protect everyone who attends our events."

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