“Give me liberty or give me death!” These words, attributed to Patrick Henry in 1775, ignited a fire — a fire of freedom that swept through the hearts of patriots. They inspired thousands of men and women to stand against tyranny and fight for truth. That fire still burns today. Many continue to answer its call, including those who see liberty not just as a right, but as a sacred duty.
Charlie Kirk was one of those voices. Like Henry, he sees liberty and our other God-given rights as principles worth defending – loudly, publicly, and without apology. Kirk mobilized young Americans to challenge threats to constitutional freedom. His message was clear: truth and liberty are worth the fight.
Born on October 14th, 1993, Charlie Kirk became politically active during his high school years. Early in college, he left formal education and founded Turning Point USA, an organization dedicated to promoting “principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government.” (Turning Point USA) Through tireless effort, Kirk inspired others to engage in civic life and embrace conservative values.
Another cornerstone of Kirk’s legacy is his promotion of Christianity and faith. In a 2024 interview with Russel Brand, he shared, “I mean, I’m nothing without Jesus. I’m a sinner. I fall incredibly short of the glory of God. We all do. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade, and it’s the most important decision I’ve ever made, and everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ.” (Foust) His public witness encouraged thousands to live the two great commandments: to love God and to love others.
Kirk fought for conservative values, championed limited government, and relentlessly defended the Constitution. He framed conservatism as a moral defense of truth, tradition, and personal agency, urging young Americans to break free from the mold of conformity. He often highlighted the vision of the Founding Fathers, that limited government is the champion for liberty. At Turning Point USA events, he created platforms for open dialogue, encouraging students to think critically, speak freely, and engage with opposing ideas. He also advocated for Second Amendment rights, emphasizing the importance of self-defense and individual sovereignty.
Above all, Kirk wished to be remembered by his courage in faith. He once said, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith.” (Foust) His legacy is a call for one to stand boldly for their beliefs, even when cultural winds blow against them.
As a champion for truth, Kirk demonstrated a rare commitment to intellectual integrity in an age of relativism. While critics may label him a dualist, further examination will help one come to recognize his commitment to truth based on evidence, showing openness to revising his beliefs when presented with compelling evidence. He viewed intellectual and spiritual growth as lifelong pursuits — and he encouraged others to do the same.
September 12th, 2025, was a somber day. On this day, Kirk was assassinated. A timeline and eyewitness experience of this event are included below. Just days before his death, Kirk stated, “Jesus defeated death so you can live.” (Foust) He was committed to civil discussion and debate, working tirelessly to promote unity. His life is a life to remember. A resolution born in the House of Representatives states, “Charlie Kirk would not have us respond to his death with despair, but rather with renewed purpose—to speak truth with courage, to stand firm in faith, to seek unity while standing firm in principle, and to serve as living reminders of the values he championed: faith, family, and freedom.” (U.S. Congress)
The life of Charlie Kirk was marked by conviction, courage, and commitment to truth. Though he was silenced by violence, his message will never be quieted. The students he inspired, the faith he professed, and the principles he defended will carry that message forward. His legacy challenges us to speak boldly, live faithfully, and never take liberty for granted.
An article published in the Mount Liberty Rostra relates the following account and timeline of the events that occurred. “Conservative warrior and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk was shot today at 12:26 PM, and is now dead, according to Speaker Mike Schultz.
I stood about 40 feet away from Charlie when he was shot, at the edge of the crowd. I talked with twelve other eyewitnesses to the event and compiled a timeline of events below.
12:15 PM: Charlie addressed the crowd at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, and began the first question. During this first question, relating to religion, Charlie Kirk took the time to appreciate Mormon culture and their emphasis on families and strongly professed his belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, telling the crowd that “Jesus is King” at least twice.
12:23-26PM:
Appx. 20 seconds before: An eyewitness entering the event spotted a person dressed in black with a face mask on top of the UVU engineering building (LC Building) with an assault rifle. The police have asked that I don’t share the eyewitness’ name publicly. “He ran six feet and crouched, ran another six feet and crouched, maybe like three or four times before he got to the edge of the building,” said the eyewitness. I personally saw the video he took of this person moving along the roof. The individual who recorded the video was later able to give the footage to the local police, and the police instructed the eyewitness to not release his video at this time.
12:23-25 PM: Charlie was on his second question, discussing, of all things, the role of gun control. A single shot broke through the noise of the crowd. A bullet punctured through the right side of Charlie’s neck. Charlie fell backward and blood started spurting from his neck. (We can’t verify the exact time of the shot, but we know it was between those minutes.)
Appx. 5 seconds after: The person in black with a face mask was seen running off to the east away from the scene according to the same eyewitness who took the video mentioned above. To him, it looked as if his shooter ran as soon as the shot was made, without taking much time to confirm the kill or to continue shooting into the crowd.
Appx. 10 seconds after: Immediately after dropping to the floor, I saw the people in the crowd evacuating. Most of the crowd left the area and returned somewhere safe, many soon started driving away in their cars.
12:29 PM: Campus officials initiated an active shooter drill. All classrooms were shut down while other areas were evacuated. People were on their phone warning others not to come, finding where their friends were and if they were okay, or informing people on TikTok, X, Instagram, and other social media sites what just happened.
12:31 PM: Huge teams from Orem police and other nearby departments arrived on scene. An ambulance arrived.
12:33 PM: A police plane was seen overhead, and campus was fully locked down with police responding from many areas of Utah.
1:03 PM: A suspect was taken into custody by the police, according to a statement from UVU reported by NBC news.
2:00 PM: Charlie was pronounced stable but in critical condition at the hospital, according to Forbes.
2:13 PM: Utah Speaker Mike Schultz confirmed that Charlie Kirk is dead.
2:14 PM: The arrested suspect was confirmed NOT to be the shooter or accomplice and subsequently released.
With a background in firearms, active shooter responses, and evasion for both civilian and military an eyewitness student from UVU says: “While entering the event I thought about the possibilities of a shooter and realized that there were only 4 locations, 3 of which could see Charlie that the shooter could post up on:
On top of the Cafe (hard to access the roof without being spotted)
On top of the WB building (to my knowledge there is only internal roof access)
On top of the LC building (much access both internal and external)
“The shooter was spotted and recorded on top of the Engineering (LC) building, which is the most accessible and where I would have gone if I wanted both a good view and quick escape. I personally believe it would have taken any skilled person less than 2 minutes to escape if they left the weapon behind and jumped off one of the many 10ft tall sections of the roof. The shooter is currently at large; I have 100% confidence that he will be apprehended and would like to shout out to the local law enforcement on how quickly they both locked down and helped evacuate people in under 8 minutes from when the shot rang out. Our prayers go out to the Kirk Family.
“I am extremely grateful that this was not a mass shooting as the angle of attack of the shooter mixed with skill and a high-capacity magazine would have resulted in the death of many. This scene was and is horrific, but I am grateful that no others were lost today, I pray the man is arrested swiftly and prosecuted to the full extent of the law up to and including the death penalty.”
This was written by 2 students taking information from their contacts who were at the scene. One student from UVU and the other student from John Adams College. I, Trevor Dyches, am the student from John Adams College. The other has asked their names to be anonymous for the time being, but will be open for questioning in the following days.” (Dyches)
Works Cited
- Skidmore, Gage. Charlie Kirk speaking at an event. Flickr, 13 Sept. 2025, https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/54670961811/
- “Patrick Henry Speech: ‘Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!’” The White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/patrick-henry-give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death/
- Turning Point USA. Home – TPUSA, https://www.tpusa.com/
- Foust, Michael. “9 Inspiring Charlie Kirk Quotes about Jesus, Faith and the Bible.” Crosswalk.com, https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/9-inspiring-charlie-kirk-quotes-about-jesus-faith-and-the-bible.html
- U.S. Congress. H.Res.719 – 119th Congress (2025–2026): Honoring the Life and Legacy of Charles “Charlie” James Kirk. Congress.gov, Library of Congress, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/719/text
- Dyches, Trevor. “Face-Masked Individual Allegedly on Roof, Timeline of Charlie Kirk Assassination.” The Rostra, https://www.mountlibertyrostra.com/charlie-kirk-assassination-timeline
