Charlie Kirk in Tampa July 2025. {Wikipedia}
A memorial candlelight vigil will honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 17 at MOV Fusion Bar and Grill in Sunrise, offering a space for reflection on both his sudden death and his outsized influence on American political discourse.
Randal Cutter, president of the Coral Springs Parkland Republican Club, said Kirk’s loss is weighing heavily on those impacted by his work — and that vigils honoring him across the country are a way to bring people together.
“Charlie Kirk was known for wanting to speak to all sides, and he did so in a gentle way,” Cutter told Coral Springs Talk Saturday. “It’s really hard to process that one of the voices that was trying to bring peace and debate — that open, honest, loving debate to the forefront — paid with his life.”
Kirk, 31, was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, as part of his “American Comeback Tour.” Authorities said he was shot in the neck by a sniper during a student Q&A session, in full view of hundreds of attendees. He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who is facing multiple charges, including aggravated murder.
Court documents filed in the case describe how Robinson allegedly set up on a rooftop overlooking the tented outdoor stage, using a scoped bolt-action rifle and leaving behind bullets engraved with taunting messages.
Investigators said surveillance footage tracked Robinson’s movements from the campus into a nearby wooded area, where additional evidence was recovered.
For Cutter and other Republican leaders, the loss of Kirk is not only personal but civic.
“It’s a highly emotional time because of that loss, knowing how tragic and avoidable it was,” Cutter said.
Kirk rose to national prominence after founding Turning Point USA in 2012, building it into a powerful force in conservative politics. His campus tours, conferences, and social media platforms made him a leading figure for young conservatives, while his podcast and frequent media appearances helped shape national debates.
Admirers point to his ability to energize a new generation of activists; critics often accused him of deepening divisions with provocative rhetoric.
In the aftermath of his assassination, his widow, Erika Kirk, vowed to continue his mission. She announced that Turning Point USA’s fall tour and conferences will move forward, calling her husband’s death a rallying point for the movement he helped build.
Cutter believes the vigil in Sunrise is one small but meaningful way for communities across the country to channel their grief into unity.
“The more people watch the way that he interacted with other people, I think our rhetoric will change, and maybe we’ll be able to talk — even with vehement disagreement,” he explained.
Cutter stressed the importance of building bridges between people with differing political beliefs in the wake of Kirk’s assassination.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m open to all of their ideas by any stretch of the imagination, but as a Christian conservative, I love my neighbor, and I wish the best for them always.”
He added of the vigil: “I hope it helps to bring us together.”
The vigil will be held Tuesday, Sept. 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at MOV Fusion Bar and Grill, 4575 N Pine Island Rd. in Sunrise. It’s being organized by the Republican Club of Sunrise.
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