Orem, Utah (AP) – One student drilled a hole in his home for two days after witnessing it Charlie Kirk’s assassination Conservative activists are nervous about returning to the University of Utah campus where they were shot. Another thing that could not shake up any sleepy or shaking, her father called for her to take her home.
Investigators spend the weekend digging deeper into suspects Tyler James Robinson Ahead of the first court appearance on Tuesday, students witnessed the shooting at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, taking into account Paul, whose trauma, grief and murders threw on the community.
Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk’s memorial will be seen on Saturday, September 13th, 2025 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
Robinson’s Arrested late Thursday It calmed some fears. Still, the motives and plans of the suspicious shooter, and Security expires This allowed the man with the rifle to shoot Kirk from the rooftop before he could escape.
The university says security will increase when classes resume on September 17th.
In Robinson’s hometown, about 240 miles (390 kilometres) southwest of campus, the presence of law enforcement fell significantly on Saturday after the FBI ran a search warrant at the family’s home. The grey Dodge Challenger authorities say Robinson drove to the UVU appeared to have been carried.
The blinds were closed as no one answered the door on Saturday at a family home in Washington, Utah.
The killings prompted pleas for courtesy in American political discourse, but those calls were not always listened, and some people who criticized Kirk in the wake of his death were fired or suspended from their work.
On Friday, Office Depot said it refused to print flyers for Kirk’s vigil and fired workers at a Michigan store seen in a video calling it “propaganda.” On Thursday, a conservative internet personality filmed the video outside Illinois Democratic Government JB Pretzker Home, urges viewers to “take action” after Kirk’s assassination. Pritzker has been improved.
People are leaving flowers at the memorial located near the main entrance of Utah Valley University in Orem. The car looped through nearby streets on Saturday, roaring corners, flying American flags, displaying messages such as “We Love You Charlie,” “Charlie 4 Ever,” and “Rip Charlie.”
In the area where Turning Point USA co-founder was shot dead, crews began to knock down tents and banners and rubbing down reminders of the killing.
Utah Valley University student Alec Bella stands near the Charlie Kirk memorial on Friday, September 12, 2025 in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
Kirk’s monument brings together students who are stubborn
Student Alec Vera stopped at the monument after he finally left his house for a drive to clean his head on Friday night. Vera says that after seeing Kirk collapse about 30 or 40 feet (9-12 meters) in front of him, he was scared, unable to concentrate and avoid people, and was shady.
“I just felt that I needed to come here and be able to be comforted and comforted with everyone.
A woman kneels and sobs. Others stood quietly and spoke gently with their friends. Around the campus, the trees were wrapped in red ribbons.
A handful of cars remained stuck in the parking lot by students who left their keys while escaping the shooting. One student forced an officer to retrieve his bike from the other side of the police tape, and the officer passed through him and cracked a smile. The university said people could pick up their belongings early next week.
The truck will be driving on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in Orem, Utah, in tribute to Utah Valley University’s Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk, “Justice for Charlie,” written on the window as the vehicle brigade drives. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
I’m worried about returning to campus
Student Marjorie Holt began crying when she brought flowers to campus Thursday, urging her to change her mind about returning to campus this weekend.
Hours after the shooting, the 18-year-old lay in her bed and said she was troubled by the horror she witnessed. Kirk answered the question, “I saw him fall, I saw blood, but I couldn’t click on what happened.”
She called her father because she couldn’t sleep due to headaches, nausea and the trauma of the day. She returned home to Salt Lake City, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) north.
Holt said returning to campus would “feel like a burden on my heart, it would feel terrible.”
Vera said Kirk was shot at the main gathering spot on campus. There, students take naps, meditate, do their homework and hang out.
“I see it when I come back and it makes me feel pretty uncomfortable at first. I know what happened here and I have to pass it every time,” Bella said.
I’m suffering from flashbacks and strange weight
Student Alexis Narciso said he had flashbacks when he heard a bang, a cry, or other loud noise. He was about 10 feet (3 meters) away.
“I’m just paralyzed. I don’t feel anything,” Narciso said. “I want to cry, but at the same time I won’t.”
Jessa Packard, a single mother of two who live nearby, said that even the suspects in custody hadn’t let her sense of anxiety go away. Packard’s home security system captured a video of a Dodge Challenger, police said, that Robinson had gone to campus. After the shooting, she said law enforcement officers would descend to her neighborhood, search the yard and take security footage.
“There’s this really weird weight. Honestly, I think a lot of fear has disappeared for me,” Packard said. “The fact that I don’t know where he is, like this murderer in my neighborhood, but knows he’s going through it, is truly creepy.”
Crime scene tapes surrounded Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Orem, Utah, on Saturday, September 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
Looking for closures from one campus to another
Hallehanchet, 19, a student at nearby Brigham Young University, said she just pulled out a phone call to begin filming Kirk as gunshots continued and the group took the breath. Hunchet said she saw blood, Kirk’s security team moved forward towards the face around her, feeling terrified. She fell to the ground in her fetal position and said, “What is going on? Am I going to die?”
On Friday, she brought flowers and stared quietly at where Kirk had a kick-off to “American Comeback Tour.” It ended with violence.
“I really didn’t say much in my last few days, I like a bit of zone out and stare at me,” Hunchet said. “Memory, it just plays.”
She prays for the power to move forward. “And he said, ‘OK, I was here for this. How can I help others learn from this?” ”
Robinson’s neighbor is looking for answers
In Robinson’s hometown, neighbor Chris Schwierman recalled as a shy, respectful, extremely respectful student who loved to read him. Schwiermann, 66, was the principal of the elementary school attended by Robinson and his brother.
She was stunned by the news of his arrest and said she described the Robinsons as “a very close family.”
Like the Robinsons, Schwealman is a member of the Latter-day Saint Church of Jesus Christ. She said they belonged to the same congregation, but she said the family had not been active in the church for at least eight years.
“We want to make sure people know that we are not malicious towards our family or him,” Schweierman said. “He made the wrong choice.”
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Yamato reported from Washington, Utah and St. George, Utah. Associated Press reporters Sejal Govindarao of Phoenix, Nicholas Riccardi of Denver and Michael R. Sissac of New York also contributed to the report.
