What was supposed to be a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in Utah where college students at the Utah Valley University engaged conservative mainstay Charlie Kirk in one of his usual discourses, soon turned into a nightmare that ended with the Turning Point USA co-founder being shot dead. The opinions and analysis of this shooting can go on forever, but ultimately we don’t know much more now than we did when the incident occurred. Two people were taken into custody and eventually released. The Utah Department of Public Safety is still continuing the manhunt.

Who Shot Charlie?

That is the million-dollar question. Speculation has run rampant from some left-wing extremist to it being some psyop. The only information we have on the shooter is that he is a skinny white male, who was dressed in all black, wearing a ball cap and sunglasses. A bolt-action rifle was recovered by law enforcement, but as of now, no arrests have been made.

Conspiracy theorists have pointed to a possible inside job involving Kirk’s security detail. They have pointed to subtle “hand signals” of a couple of individuals that were posted off to the side and out of the line of fire. Others have suggested a disgruntled panel member that Kirk had engaged with on a previous campus stop. Feel free to make your own judgments on either theory.

UPDATE: Authorities have arrested 22-year old Tyler Robinson of Washington, Utah. Early reports are saying his father turned him in after his son confessed to the shooting.

Reactions to the Shooting

There were those like this writer who felt physically ill after hearing and seeing the shooting take place. At one point, it was said that Kirk was in stable condition, but 15-20 minutes later he was pronounced dead. The outpouring of love and support for his family was immense. But so was the ugly side the response to the shooting where many people celebrated his death. Even the response by House Democrats after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) called for a prayer was appalling.

Another reaction that bears mentioning was the media response to it. The most notable example came from MSNBC where it was suggested that Charlie Kirk was struck by “celebratory gunfire from a supporter.” Of course, anyone with half a brain and eyes, could tell you that was not the case. Even the remarks by Michael Dowd were inappropriate and led to his dismissal from the network. The curious thing about the media’s response to it is how lightly it was treated initially.

The same thing happened with CNN in Butler, PA last year where the network suggested that President Trump had fallen on stage. Perhaps the ones who were covering it didn’t have the audio turned up because the gunfire is very evident before Trump ducked behind his podium. In both cases, the journalistic integrity of the mainstream media was called into question. We have to ask ourselves, “why?”

Either way, the assassination of Charlie Kirk revealed the true colors and character of people from both sides – for better or worse. There have been cases of people lauding the killing online who have subsequently lost their jobs. Personally, the idea of losing your job over comments, no matter how distasteful they may be, should not result in losing one’s job. Now, if the comments were made while at work and were unsolicited, then that would be a whole other issue entirely.

The Aftermath

There is speculation that the death of Charlie Kirk has halted the conservative movement. It is the opinion of this writer, it has not. In fact, the events that transpired in Utah that morning served as the reason for this blog’s creation. Other conservative voices have pledged to pick up the mantle left behind by Kirk and continue to engage with students at various college campuses. Most notably, Ben Shapiro has vowed to pick up the blood-stained microphone where Charlie left it and capped off his comments with a resounding “Fuck you!” to the opposition.

In closing, the Veteran’s Voice would like to offer condolences to the family of Charlie Kirk during this tragic time. Hatred that promotes violence should not be condoned nor suggested as recourse, no matter what your stance is on an issue. As a society, we need to be better.