Hundreds of thousands of people said their final farewells to Charlie Kirk on Sunday as his memorial was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The conservative political influencer was rushed to the hospital after being shot at Utah Valley University a few weeks ago.
The timeline of when he passed away has not been disclosed. Now, his mentor and pastor, Frank Turek, who was rushing Charlie to the hospital, speaks out about Kirk’s final moments.
Charlie Kirk’s death has affected millions of Americans. The memorial, held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, attracted approximately 90,000 people.
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and many from the president’s administration attended the memorial and spoke to the thousands of mourners. One of the speakers was Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who recalled the devastating moment she saw him deceased at the hospital.
“I saw the wound that ended his life, I felt everything that you would expect to feel,” Erika Kirk said. “I felt a level of heartache that I didn’t know existed, but there was something else, too. Even in death, I could see the man that I loved.”
She continued: “I also saw on his lips the faintest smile. And that told me something important. It revealed to me a great mercy from God from this tragedy. When I saw that, it told me Charlie didn’t suffer.”
Charlie Kirk’s mentor recalls influencer’s last moments
The exact timeline of Charlie Kirk’s death has not yet been disclosed. Harrowing videos of the moment he was shot have spread across the internet.
Kirk was rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle, and one of those in the car with him was the influencer’s mentor and prominent Christian radio host, Frank Turek. At the memorial, he described how he stood “25 feet from my beloved friend” as the bullet hit Kirk.
“When that shot rang out I took a step toward him but his security team was on him immediately,” he said. “And so Charlie, being like a son to me, I ran toward the security team and we ran to the SUV together. No father would stand back and say no, you just take my son, take him, I’ll meet you at the hospital,”
Frank Turek added that the security team attempted to perform life-saving measures on Kirk, calling them “incredible.” However, it was too late. Turek then shared details of Charlie Kirk’s last seconds before he passed away.
“I want you to know that we did everything we could to save Charlie, but Charlie was already gone,” he said. “His face was looking at mine, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me, right into eternity. And if it’s any comfort at all, I learned that Charlie felt no pain. He died instantly. But we had to try to bring him back,” Turek said, becoming emotional.”
Frank Turek concluded, “We couldn’t save him. I want you to know Charlie right now is in heaven.”
