In a recent interview, Erika Kirk described learning of her husband Charlie Kirk’s assassination as an “unbelievable nightmare.” The CEO of Turning Point USA said she rushed to secure her children’s safety after hearing the devastating news.
Erika shared that she collapsed in a parking lot upon hearing what had happened and urgently contacted security for help.
“I’m just being like, ‘Charlie’s been shot. He’s been shot.’ I sprinted out of her treatment centre, just collapsed in the middle of the parking lot, called our security. Unbelievable nightmare,” she said.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot during a college debate at Utah Valley University in September. The gunman, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, allegedly fired a single bullet from a rooftop, striking Kirk in the neck in front of thousands of witnesses.
Robinson has been charged with first-degree murder and may face the death penalty by firing squad if convicted. Videos of the shooting spread rapidly online, intensifying political tensions across an already divided United States.
Erika noted that she never had the chance to say goodbye to her husband, who had left their Arizona home early that morning to travel to Utah for the debate.
Author’s summary: Erika Kirk’s recount of her husband’s assassination reveals both the personal trauma and the wider political shockwaves caused by the tragedy in Utah.