Abby Kestle
Mizzou students hold candles in Traditions Plaza on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. MU students gathered to honor the life of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk in a candlelit vigil.
The University of Missouri’s chapter of Turning Point USA held a vigil at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Traditions Plaza to honor the life of conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University.
“It’s important to come together for prayer in moments like these,” said Turning Point USA Mizzou chapter president and event organizer Paige Schulte. “I knew it was important for us to come together … not just as conservatives, but as people.”
The event included a candle lighting, prayers and speeches, before closing with a moment of silence.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 with a goal of spreading conservative values to college campuses across the country. According to Turning Point USA’s website, the organization aims to equip students to “meaningfully engage in their communities to restore traditional American values like patriotism, respect for life, liberty, family, and fiscal responsibility.”
As the organization’s frontman, Kirk gained popularity on social media by openly debating college students and posting their conversations. At the time of his passing, he had accumulated 8.4 million followers on Instagram, and 3.4 million on TikTok, as well as 1 million daily listeners on his podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show.”
Mizzou College Republicans President Brenden Poteet admired Kirk’s dedication to civil discourse.
“I think one of the biggest things that Charlie Kirk did was provide a public space for people to engage in civil debate, to invite people that don’t agree with him to come forward and speak,” Poteet said. “He was brutally assassinated, and it wasn’t just an attack on conservative values and beliefs; it was an attack on the First Amendment itself.”
Roughly 100 students and community members attended the vigil, many of whom spoke throughout the evening to share their feelings, echoing personal messages of grief, fear and persistence.
“We’re not gonna be silenced by this,” Schulte said in her speech. “This is just the beginning. This is the turning point.”
Turning Point USA Mizzou representatives said the organization intended to sign a contract within the next week for Kirk to speak at Traditions Plaza on Sept. 29.
Despite the tragedy, Schulte said the attendance at the vigil was encouraging.
“This is the start of a greater conservative and Christian movement in the United States, and Gen Z is not going to be silenced,” Schulte said.
Poteet expressed similar sentiments.
“There is a very clear hate for conservatives, and we need to all push together against that, continue to advocate for our beliefs, not shy away when things get tough,” Poteet said.
Kirk’s assassination is the most recent in a string of politically motivated attacks across the country. A democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were assassinated in June, a year after the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at one of his rallies. Kirk’s death has resulted in nationwide outcries to stop political violence.
“We strongly condemn political violence in all forms. It has no place in the United States. Our country must be better than this,” Rep. Mark Alford, who represents the fourth congressional district of Missouri, wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
The Utah Department of Public Safety and the FBI have identified 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson as the primary suspect in the shooting. Robinson is in police custody as of Sept. 12.
Edited by Erin Hynes | [email protected]
Copy edited by Avery Copeland | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]