Charlie Kirk‘s wife, Erika Kirk (née Frantzve), shared a bible verse just hours before the conservative political commentator was shot and killed.
“Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” she wrote in a post shared via X at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, September 10, hours before her husband was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. He was 31.
At the time of publication, a suspect has not been identified. According to FBI agent Kash Patel and Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a “person of interest” was taken into custody and being interviewed. “The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” Patel, 45, later posted.
The shooting is being treated as a political assassination.
The couple celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary just months ago in May. They share two young children — a daughter, Sarah Rose, 3, and a 15-month-old son whose name has not been publicly revealed.
“Today marks 4 years of being married to @mrserikakirk. Second to accepting Jesus, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. She is bold, smart, loyal, and beautiful,” Charlie wrote in honor of their wedding anniversary. “Happy anniversary Erika, I love you.”
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Charlie and Erika tied the knot in 2021 in what she described as a “very intimate” ceremony in Arizona. The Right Wing Revolution author and the former Miss Arizona USA winner, who started dating in 2019, went on to welcome their daughter in August 2022 and son in May 2024.
The media personality said he and his wife first connected during a “very, very long dinner” after which he knew “almost immediately” that she was “The One,” he shared in a 2024 Turning Point USA video.
She echoed that sentiment in a social media caption shared in August.
“Just for some encouragement, sure you can be ‘in love’, but my goodness when you found ‘The One’ and you’re in covenant, that’s a whole different level of love. And to the one who’s still waiting, hold steady. Don’t lose heart. God is faithful and Heaven is never late. His story for you will absolutely be worth the wait. I promise. I truly promise,” Erika wrote via Instagram.
Charlie, cofounder of the conservative youth advocacy organization Turning Point USA, was fatally shot at about 12:10 p.m. local time while holding one of his campus debates on Wednesday. He was on the microphone at his “Prove Me Wrong” table as part of his American Comeback Tour.
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The incident took place roughly 20 minutes into Charlie’s presentation, when witnesses heard shots ring out from a nearby building, a spokesperson for the university told NBC News. According to CNN, the fatal shot was taken around 200 yards away.
Bill Mason, Commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety, confirmed during a press conference that Charlie was taken by “private vehicle” to a nearby hospital “where he later passed.”
