WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - At just 31 years old, Charlie Kirk had become one of the most influential leaders in conservative politics, dedicating his life to the Republican Party and bringing many young voters into the political arena with his outreach, garnering the attention of many college students, including those at Florida International University, who are now honoring his life.
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah college event Wednesday in what the state’s governor called a political assassination.
He founded the group Turning Point USA at 18-years-old, a non-profit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses.
Up until his death, Kirk focused on student outreach during his American Comeback Tour at the nation’s colleges and universities, stops included three in Northern and Central Florida, where he was greeted by thousands of student supporters.
He has a base in South Florida, too.
Conservative current and former Florida International University students said they were shocked to learn about Kirk’s death.
“Charlie Kirk is dead. It’s physically hard for me to process that right now,” said FIU student Abel Carvajal.
“My immediate thought was like this can’t be real, you know, I was living a nightmare,” said Cristen Lameira, former FIU Turning Point USA Chapter President. “I couldn’t think about anything else but that yesterday. I wish I got know him more, I wish I could shake his hand or hug him one last time.”
At Florida International University, the Turning Point USA chapter is reflecting on his “bold and faithful voice for truth in a time of vision”, vowing to carry on his legacy.
“I believe that most people find, regardless of politics, find what happened yesterday tragic and that shouldn’t have happened to anyone but my point is to my fellow conservatives, political activists is to not shut up. Do not be in fear,” said Lameira.
Kirk turned to political activism after dropping out of college.
He criticized what he saw as liberal bias in education, minority hiring and much more using his big and growing platform to recruit young people to the conservative movement.
His vocal views drew controversy, and often fierce opposition, but he welcomed the controversy and used it to spread the conservative message or debate it with anyone who would listen.
“He promoted debate and discussion and again resolving our problems through the ballot box and he was silenced by a bullet,” said Carvajal.
Matthew Santana, a junior at FIU, said he didn’t agree much with Kirk but still is saddened by what occurred.
“I didn’t support most of the things he would say, somethings he said are kind of agreeable, I guess, but it’s still sad,” he said.
Others had similar sentiments and added that watching things escalate to this level of political violence is devastating.
“It’s OK to disagree with people, but to bring it to a point of violence is never OK,” said freshman Kevin Garcia. “While I didn’t like him as a person, he was also a father and a husband and it’s unfair that those kids lost their father and that wife lost her husband.”
The father of two had just celebrated his fourth wedding anniversary in February—His shared faith with his wife, Erika, reflected in a bible verse she posted on social media hours before the shooting.
It read:
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
A family, a party, and a country now in mourning as the verse his wife shared still resonates.
“Continue to fight for what we believe in. Continue to be bold, loud and proud for what you stand for,” said Lameira.
“Violence is wrong and violence is not the legitimate way of expressing your political viewpoint or achieving your political means but I think there is going to be a psychological effect on the political right which I am really, really terrified of what direction we are going in,” said Carvajal.
In the latest news regarding the investigation into his death, the FBI have released photos of the suspected shooter, recovered a high-powered rifle from the scene, saying, that the sniper appears to be of “college age” and is believed to have jumped off the roof and fled into a neighborhood after firing the single shot.
The Former FIU Turning Point USA Chapter President said they are holding a vigil for Kirk on campus at 8 p.m.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.