HOUSTON – Officials have identified 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah as the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, the CEO and founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was killed on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.
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READ: Hundreds gather at Texas A&M candlelight vigil for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk
According to Turning Point USA, the organization has a presence on more than 3,500 high school and college campuses nationwide, with over 250,000 student members. One of the local chapters, at the University of Houston (UH), held a vigil for their founder Thursday evening.
Christian Collins, The Woodlands native and founder, as well as CEO, of the Texas Youth Summit, led a tribute to Kirk, describing him as a transformative figure in the lives of young Americans.
Collins, who first met Kirk at CPAC in 2017, said he really got to know him when Kirk spoke at the Texas Youth Summit’s 2020 conference.
“That year, we had Candace Owens there with him, and then he came again in 2021 and 2023.”
“Charlie Kirk, only 31 years old, has accomplished more in his 31 years than most people have in a hundred,” Collins said. “He had a beautiful wife and two children and, aside from being a very successful young man, he was a human being... he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”
Describing Kirk as a mentor and friend, Collins said Kirk “would send scriptures to encourage people… he encouraged me through verses not to be timid and to be bold for what we believed in.”
He added that Kirk always engaged with people respectfully and civilly, remembering him as a “Happy Warrior.”
Reflecting on Kirk’s national influence, Collins added, “There’s nobody I think more powerful in the conservative movement aside from President Trump than Charlie Kirk.”
For many students at UH, the vigil was also personal.
Lauren, a UH student, recalled being so nervous when meeting Kirk that she could barely say her name. “God bless you, Lauren,” he told her, placing his hand on hers — a moment she said left a lasting impression.
Other UH students said they were inspired by Kirk’s example, even without meeting him in person.
“Even though I haven’t personally met Charlie Kirk, I’ve seen a lot of videos… on social media. And he’s really made a big impact amongst our youth,” one student said. “I feel very inspired by him and that’s why I wanted to be a part of the organization… we could really continue his movement because that’s what he would want.”
Another student credited Kirk with shaping her own faith and political views.
“The main reason why I switched to the conservative side was because of Charlie Kirk,” she said. “He had a lot of Christian values… I really believed that he was chasing the Lord first, and everything else followed. And because of that, I was able to see glimpses of the Christian that I wanted.”
For Collins and the students gathered at UH, Kirk’s death was both a loss and a call to action to carry on the movement he started.