On Sept. 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, leaving his wife and two children to grieve. He was pronounced dead around 3:40 p.m., shortly after he was taken to the hospital. His assassination appears to have been an act of political violence.
The murder suspect, 22-year- old Tyler Robinson, was charged with seven counts, including one of aggravated murder in his first court appearance on Sept. 16. Text messages between him and his roommate following up to the murder were revealed by investigators, which suggests that he may have been planning it for over a week. They also reveal his primary motivation, which stemmed from ideological hatred.
Many political leaders spoke out about the murder, including Vice President JD Vance and former President Barack Obama. They expressed outrage at the assassination, and called for national unity.
In a post on X shortly after the murder of Kirk, Obama wrote, “We don’t know yet what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
While hosting a tributary episode of Kirk’s podcast “The Charlie Kirk Show” a few days after his death, Vance stated, “The last several days have been extremely hard for our country, they’ve been hard for me, hard for my family, hard for the countless people in this building who knew and loved Charlie Kirk, and of course they’ve been hardest most of all for his darling wife Erika and their two beautiful children.”
As a result of violent acts such as the murder of Kirk, larger views have been articulated reflecting on the divided state of the country, and the consequences that have resulted. Many feel that political polarization in America has led to the inability to have civil discourse with those that have opposing views.
Theology teacher Jon Yeager said, “Our vision of humanity is skewed and we’re seeing people more as political positions rather than a human being that’s made in the image of God.”
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Sept. 16, 63 percent of adults currently believe the country’s political discourse significantly promotes violence. For some, the rise in such political violence can be interpreted as a reflection of ideological division.
“It’s hard to realize that most people don’t live in an extreme camp of far left or far right,” said Robert Bennett ’27. “Most people are just like you and me, trying to make sense of the problems that we have in this country, based on their personal world views while also being bombarded with messages that are telling them to pick a side.”
