Hundreds gather at Paso Robles City Park in vigil, celebrating Kirk’s legacy of free speech, faith, and youth activism, just days after his shocking death
PASO ROBLES — On Saturday morning, hundreds of locals gathered together at Paso Robles City Park, waving American flags and wearing Freedom T-shirts, just three days after a single gunshot rocked the nation with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder and conservative free speech advocate was fatally shot 20 minutes into a speech at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10. The political assassination sent shockwaves through the country, and the world, leaving communities like ours grappling with grief and fear. At the vigil, speakers from the San Luis Obispo County Republican Party, local pastors, a City Council member, and a Paso Robles High School graduate, among others, took the stage, united in resolve: Kirk’s death was not the end of his fight for truth and freedom, but a rallying cry for its continuation.
Randall Jordan, chairman of the Republican Party of San Luis Obispo County, spoke with emotion in his voice as he explained the urgency of the gathering. “Someone had to do this,” he said, describing why the party acted so quickly to organize the event. “Charlie Kirk meant so much to us — to my wife and me, to everyone in our central committee. We were devastated. We had to come out and honor him.” Jordan, a longtime fixture in North County politics with headquarters in both Atascadero and Arroyo Grande, recounted the raw shock that rippled through his home when news broke. His wife, more plugged into the networks than he, learned of Kirk’s death during a Zoom call for another group — 30 minutes before President Trump’s announcement hit national airwaves. “It was just devastating,” Jordan said. “We kept listening and listening, hoping he’d make it. Thinking he’s gotta make it.”
For many, Kirk was more than a national figure — he was a familiar presence. Just 18 months earlier, on March 7, 2024, he appeared at Cal Poly’s Dexter Lawn for a “Prove Me Wrong” debate table hosted by the campus Turning Point USA chapter. The event drew hundreds: supporters applauding his unfiltered stances on free speech, abortion, and transgender rights, while protesters rallied nearby, denouncing his views as inflammatory. Counter-events also emerged, including Queer Joy by the Cal Poly Drag Club, along with demonstrations organized by Young Democratic Socialists of America, Students for Quality Education, and Gala Pride and Diversity. Undeterred, Kirk pressed forward, answering questions with his trademark mix of statistics, scripture, and sharp wit — leaving a lasting impression on young conservatives close to home.
Images by Rick Evans/PRP
The tragedy that claimed his life struck while he was doing what he loved — and what defined him. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, beneath clear Utah skies, Kirk was 20 minutes into the kickoff of his “American Comeback Tour” at UVU’s Sorensen Student Center courtyard. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people filled the Orem campus, 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. Wearing his trademark “Freedom” T-shirt, he had just tossed branded hats to a cheering crowd and posted on X: “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY.” Moments later, while answering a question on mass shootings and mental health reforms — urging data-driven solutions over what he called knee-jerk gun control — the crack of a rifle split the air.
Eyewitnesses described the chaos as Kirk recoiling, clutching his neck as blood poured from the wound, collapsing backward off his chair. His four-person security detail shielded him, rushing him to a vehicle that raced toward a hospital. He didn’t make it, succumbing en route. No other injuries occurred, a fact UVU Chief of Police Jeff Long cited in a briefing as evidence of “a precise, targeted strike” from about 200 feet away — likely a rooftop perch.Video from attendees’ phones, now viral on social media, captured the horror: screams, a stampede for cover, and an older man, George Zinn, 62, detained after shouting he was the shooter. Utah County Sheriff Michael Smith said Zinn admitted to police that he had “yelled that he was the shooter to allow the actual suspect to flee.” Zinn is being held on obstruction of justice charges. Separately, he has also been charged with possession of child sex abuse material.
National grief was immediate. At 1:40 p.m. PDT, President Donald Trump — Kirk’s longtime ally who credited him with helping flip young voters in the 2024 reelection — was the one to announce his death. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me… Charlie, we love you!” Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff nationwide until Sunday, Sept. 14, a gesture echoed at embassies abroad. Turning Point USA’s statement was brief, “We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers.” Erika Kirk, his wife since 2019 and a fellow advocate, live-streamed to 500,000 viewers, tears streaming: “Charlie built this for the next generation. We won’t let one act of evil stop us.”
Born Charles James Kirk on Oct. 14, 1993, in Chicago’s suburbs, Kirk’s story was one of precocious fire. Son of a small-business owner and homemaker, he absorbed conservative ideals from talk radio and family dinners on fiscal responsibility. By high school, he was staging Tea Party events and sparring with teachers over school choice. Dropping out of Harper College at 18, he launched Turning Point from his parents’ basement, targeting campuses with chapters promoting free markets, Second Amendment rights, and traditional values. Under his helm, it ballooned: annual summits drawing tens of thousands, a $50 million budget, and viral “Prove Me Wrong” tables that racked up millions of views.
His evangelical faith fueled it all — quoting scripture alongside Heritage Foundation stats, framing activism as moral duty. Kirk’s Trump alliance skyrocketed him: speaking at the 2024 RNC days after an attempt on the president’s life, he drew parallels to their shared threats. Trump called him a “genius” for youth outreach. Kirk’s media footprint grew with “The Charlie Kirk Show” podcast, featuring guests like Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, and bestsellers like “The MAGA Doctrine” (2022) and “Campus Battlefield” (2024), blueprints for battling “woke” culture.
The investigation gripped headlines. Initial confusion — FBI Director Kash Patel’s X post claiming the suspect in custody, quickly walked back by Utah’s Beau Mason — gave way to leads: a palm print, shoe impression, and a traced hunting rifle abandoned in woods. By Friday, Sept. 12, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from St. George, Utah, was arrested at a relative’s home. A lanky unaffiliated voter raised in a Republican family, Robinson’s digital trail screamed obsession: searches for Kirk’s schedule, UVU maps, forum rants branding Turning Point “fascist.” A relative tipped authorities after Robinson allegedly confessed his hatred at a family dinner, seething over Kirk’s stances on social issues. “He hated everything Charlie stood for — free speech, traditional values,” the source said. Facing first-degree murder, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vowed the death penalty: “This was a political assassination, plain and simple.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, no ideological soulmate, condemned it in a bipartisan style, “Charlie Kirk’s murder is sick and reprehensible … The best way to honor his memory is to continue his work: engage with each other, across ideology, through spirited discourse.” Newsom, who once podcasted with Kirk and noted his own son’s fandom, rescheduled events in deference.
But it was the Paso Robles vigil that brought it home. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, who spoke alongside Paso Robles City Councilmember Chris Bausch and high school grad Hunter Breese, didn’t mince words. “Why was it important for me to be here? Because of what Charlie meant to me personally, to our community, and our nation,” Dow said. Though he never met Kirk — deployed to the Middle East during the Cal Poly visit — Dow enjoyed his campus clips. “He’s wonderful with apologetics, framing arguments that defeat the other side. But he also gave the gospel — not a one-trick pony. Incredibly intellectual, with a heart of compassion.”
Dow recounted watching Kirk dialogue respectfully with trans and LGBTQ students, bold yet kind. “He gets labeled racist, but I’ve never heard anything racist from him. Charged? Yes. Courageous? Absolutely. True? That’s what we need more of in our community.” Kirk emboldened Dow, especially post-COVID, to speak out on faith and absolute truth. “For the last five or six years, I’ve lived more courageously. Charlie motivated me to do it even more.”
On the vigil’s impact, Dow urged channeling anger productively. Recalling a Kirk video where he rebuked a young woman tempted by vengeance — “We don’t fight evil with evil; we return good” — Dow tied it to faith. “Charlie was following Jesus. Use him as an example: be consistent with objective truth, without vengeance. That’s God’s job.” To those lost or furious, he offered hope, “There will be people angry, wanting to fight back. But follow Charlie’s lead for positive impact.”
Jordan echoed that fire. Personally, Kirk’s death floored him, “I was a mess for days. Our construction company stopped; everything focused on this rally.” He and his wife met Kirk in Orange County two or three years back, chatting briefly; she even snapped photos at Cal Poly, helping Turning Point kids. “We were in love with him, as a son-like figure. And so proud, And now he’s gone.” Nationally, Jordan predicts fury, “It’s gonna piss a lot of people off. They’ll not just wake up — they’ll start acting. Charlie never picked a fight, but never ran from one.”
For young people, Jordan sees momentum multiplying. He pointed to a message from David Chan of California College Republicans, who texted after the assassination: “Watch out. Game on.” Jordan believes more will step forward — “not just one Kirk, but dozens” — citing figures like Turning Point’s Nina Spinello, who attended the event, as examples of the next wave of leaders. At the same time, he condemned the vitriol online. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “It’s evil. No one should celebrate an assassination, on either side.”
Yet Jordan holds bipartisan hope, recalling 2017 when progressives ousted moderate Democrats locally, souring cross-aisle ties. “Maybe this brings it back. Anyone with common sense would cringe at denouncing Charlie.”
Locally, action abounds. The Republican Party’s North County HQ at 7357 El Camino Real in Atascadero buzzes with movie nights, a October chili cook-off, and opposition to Prop 50. Their interactive website lets volunteers sign up — even guiding a Democrat on registration changes. “We’re always engaged,” Jordan said. “We can use all the help.” Dow added, “The power of one life is remarkable. Doesn’t matter your age or disability — if you’re not afraid and stand for what you believe, you can make impact. That’s Charlie’s legacy, bold, courageous, taking action.”
As the vigil wound down, pastors invoked Kirk’s faith, Breese shared youthful inspiration from his talks, and Bausch pledged city-level resolve. Erika Kirk’s words lingered: “If you thought my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea what you unleashed.” Locally, that unleashing feels deeply personal. Kirk’s empty podcast chair, his family’s grief, and the suspect’s confession are scars that reach across the nation.
Flags were raised again on Sunday, but the ache of half-staff remembrance remains. Dow ended with “In a divided nation, our community’s response — grief transformed into grit — honors a patriot who taught people to debate, not destroy. No matter how it’s spun, hours of video show his true intent: even if you disagreed with him, his deep, unwavering faith was clear.” Jordan added a call to action: “Be happy we had Charlie. And now, be Charlie. May Kirk be multiplied to tens of thousands, maybe millions.”
Feature Image: Randall Jordan (left), chairman of the Republican Party of San Luis Obispo County, and San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow, pose next to a photo of conservative free speech advocate Charlie Kirk during a vigil at Paso Robles City Park on Saturday, Sept. 13. Kirk was assassinated by a gunman during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Photo by Rick Evans/PRP
