“He loved me with all his heart’: Charlie Kirk’s wife speaks publicly for first time since shooting

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — For the first time since her husband was shot and killed on the Utah Valley University campus on September 10, 2025, Erika Kirk is speaking publicly.

Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and conservative influencer, was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University. The shooter has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who has been taken into custody.

In the wake of the shooting, Vice President JD Vance flew to Utah on Air Force Two, alongside Second Lady Usha Vance and Erika Kirk. From there, they transported Kirk’s casket to Arizona. Erika Kirk spoke on the feelings of loss her family felt and the support they’ve received.

She thanked the “local, state, and federal law enforcement [who] have worked tirelessly to capture my husband’s shooter.”

Erika Kirk also thanked the officials within Turning Point USA and on his podcast, the Charlie Kirk Show, for helping their family and supporters across the nation, in addition to acknowledging the public outpour of support.

“You guys honored my husband so well when he came home,” Erika Kirk added, in addition to addressing the president, “I want to thank President Trump for the same. Mr. President, he loved you. And I knew that he loved you, too.”

Erika Kirk also provided an internal perspective on her husband’s personal beliefs.

“My husband always said that when he was gone, he wanted to be remembered for his faith,” she expressed. According to her, Charlie Kirk would always support and reach out to individuals who he believed could overcome adversity, she said.

“He loved his children, and he loved me with all of his heart. And I knew that, every day,” she added about Charlie Kirk’s relationship with his family, recalling her daughter asking where her dad was after his death.

She also provided a comment directed to Charlie Kirk’s shooter and those who supported him.

“If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea…You have no idea the fire you ignited under his wife,” she said. “The movement my Husband built will not die. I won’t let it happen.”

Erika Kirk also announced that the campus tours planned across the United States would go on, despite her husband’s death, and encouraged the public to find their local Turning Point USA chapter or start their own.

“I promise I will never let your legacy down. I love you…I can’t wait to see you again one day,” Erika Kirk said as a message to her late husband.

Governor Cox and other officials have previously spoken on the tragedy and the crime. Governor Cox condemned political violence and pledged the death penalty for Robinson if he is convicted.