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One year after Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University, the people who stood feet from him when he was killed returned to the campus Thursday night in what Turning Point USA (TPUSA) described as a deliberate effort to “reclaim” the space in his honor.
“We’re doing an event in Utah right now at UVU, a deliberate act reclaiming that space in his honor and for his legacy,” TPUSA spokesman and “The Charlie Kirk Show” Executive Producer Andrew Kolvet told host Jesse Watters Thursday night.
Andrew Sypher, TPUSA’s chief field officer, told the gathering at UVU in Orem that he had been standing about 10 feet to Kirk’s left when the fatal shot rang out on Sept. 10, 2025.
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A view of the location where Charlie Kirk was shot one year ago. (Alec Thornock for Digital)
“Steps from these doors is the ground where evil unfolded,” Sypher said. “We did not come back to rehearse the crime scene.”
Instead, Sypher said, they returned because “this is where they tried to end him” and “this is where we refuse to let the last word be a gunshot.”
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For the students of UVU’s TPUSA chapter, the anniversary marked a return to the campus where some witnessed Kirk’s assassination.
“A year ago, our lives changed forever,” chapter President Sage Lloyd told the crowd.
Lloyd said students experienced “fear, grief, confusion, and heartbreak” and had every reason to walk away.
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People gather around a large wooden cross on a grass lawn in a campus courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Thursday. Turning Point USA hosted its “Freedom Built to Last” memorial service to mark the first anniversary of founder Charlie Kirk’s death at the courtyard site. (Getty Images)
“We could have packed our bags. We could have stepped away,” she said.
Despite the tragedy, the TPUSA chapter stayed.
“The same students who witnessed a political assassination are willing to stand up, speak out and keep moving forward,” Lloyd said.
“We can let it define us through fear, or we can let it strengthen us through courage,” she added. “The Turning Point chapter at UVU has made our decision, and we chose courage.”
Sypher also revealed what he said was a text Kirk sent him on the morning he was assassinated.
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Floral tributes and a prayer vigil sign are placed next to large concrete planters at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Thursday, at the exact campus location where Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot one year ago. (Getty Images)
“Andrew, I’m not here to pick a fight. I am here to show them kindness,” Kirk wrote, according to Sypher.
“That was the assignment this time,” Sypher said. “To talk with students who hate you. To share the truth, and to not become cruel doing it.”
Soon afterward, Kirk was fatally shot.
“Charlie’s assassination did not put our faith to death,” Sypher told the crowd. “It woke it up.”
The service was marked with worship performances and video tributes to the fallen conservative leader, as well as an unveiling of a new statue to stay on campus at UVU.
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Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, separately marked the anniversary with a black-and-white photograph from their wedding showing the couple holding hands.
Across the image were two words: “…until Heaven.”
The university closed its campus for the one-year anniversary. UVU itself did not organize the memorial, but university President Dr. Jon Anderson previously told Digital the school supported TPUSA using campus space for its event.
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Lloyd closed her remarks with a message about what returning to UVU meant for Kirk’s student movement.
“Our chapter is still here, we are still speaking, and we are nowhere near done,” she said. “And that is how his voice lives on.”
Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this reporting.
