Memorial service set for Charlie Kirk; Kelly calls for unity

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(The Center Square) – A memorial service for assassinated conservative leader Charlie Kirk will take place Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., Turning Point USA announced.

In related news Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced DNA evidence related to Kirk’s assassination. And U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, is calling for unity against political violence.

The service at the Glendale stadium is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time at the stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive. Doors will open at 8 a.m., according to Turning Point USA’s website, fightforcharlie.com.

The venue can seat around 70,000 people. President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend, according to media reports.

Kirk, a devoted ally of Trump, was shot and killed during an event Wednesday that 3,000 people attended at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. On Friday, authorities announced Tyler Robinson, 22, was in custody. On Monday morning, Patel said on Fox News that DNA found on a towel wrapped around a rifle, which authorities say was used in the assassination, as well as DNA from a screwdriver found at the rooftop where the shot was fired, matched Robinson’s DNA.

Robinson is scheduled to be formally charged Tuesday, according to media reports.

Kirk was a Scottsdale, Ariz., resident, and Turning Point USA, which he founded, is headquartered in Phoenix.

“Charlie died doing what he loved: fighting for truth, for faith, for family, and for America,” Turning Point USA said on the website. “His sacrifice will endure as a guiding light for generations.

“Though our hearts are heavy, we do not grieve as those without hope. Charlie’s legacy endures in his family, in Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action, and in the millions he inspired to live with conviction,” Turning Point said. “We honor him not only with our words, but with our actions. We will move forward together, fighting harder, standing taller, and refusing to surrender.”

Turning Point’s announcement comes as Kelly is calling for the nation to unite against political violence.

 “A wave of political violence has shocked our country,” the senator said Friday on X. “It’s going to take all of us to stop it."

Kelly discussed Kirk further during an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“Charlie Kirk and I didn’t agree much politically. I’m a Democrat. He’s clearly a Republican,” Kelly told anchor Kristen Welker. “He’s one of my constituents."

But Kelly said he and Kirk agreed on Kirk's right to speak on issues. The senator also noted, "He listened to people across the aisle."

Kelly said the assassination reminded him of Jan. 8, 2011 when the senator and former astronaut’s wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Arizona, and 18 others were shot during a constituents’ meeting in a supermarket parking lot in Tucson. Giffords was shot in the head and went through therapies to regain her ability to speak and walk.

After the mass shooting in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Giffords co-founded the nonprofit called Giffords to support gun control legislation. She has also worked to raise awareness about aphasia, the language impairment she’s had since the shooting.

Video of Kirk’s assassination, which was shown on social media, hit Giffords “pretty hard,” Kelly said. “I hope some of these social media companies can scrub this off the internet because it’s not good for kids to see this.”

“This was a tragic day for our country on Wednesday, and I really feel for Charlie’s family, his spouse, his kids, his parents, siblings, his friends,” including friends in the U.S. Senate, Kelly said.

Kelly praised Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for their efforts to unite the country against the violence that resulted in Kirk’s death.