OU, OSU Students mourn Charlie Kirk Following Shooting Death
NORMAN, OKLAHOMA – Students at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State university are expressing grief and shock following the death of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, who was fatally shot Wednesday, September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. Vigils and tributes are being held across the country, including one at OU Thursday evening, as students grapple with the loss of a figure who inspired many within the conservative movement.
At the OU vigil,junior Elizabeth Ardizzone,20,described herself as a proud Republican Jew from New York. She said that while attending high school on the East Coast, she was always told that she would be villainized if she spoke up for both her beliefs. “But watching Charlie Kirk and hearing the way he spoke, the way that his mind worked, was just amazing to me,” Ardizzone said. “I did not understand how much information someone like him could have in his head and just be able to articulate it so well – and so respectfully, too. He changed so many people’s opinions on even the most minute things.”
Gary barksdale, an OU math professor and faculty adviser to the Turning point chapter, called for the students at the OU vigil to hold onto Kirk’s memory. “Charlie was impactful to me in such a way because he let me know that the fire of patriotic devotion is in the heart of our youth,” Barksdale said.
Kalib Magana, president of the OU chapter for Turning Point USA, said he was in disbelief when he heard Kirk was killed. Magana, who said he had met and gotten to know Kirk personally, remembered him as a “respectful and caring” person who was passionate about his personal beliefs, his Christian faith and his family.
“I guess the only way to really move on from this is, for us as patriots, for us as the youth, to carry on what Charlie Kirk would’ve wanted us to do,” Magana said. “Right now, he would want us to continue on fighting for our country, doing what’s right, speaking the Word of God, to ensure that our country lives on.”
Turning Point USA, founded in 2012, has become a prominent association in American conservative politics, particularly among college students. Kirk,a vocal advocate for limited government,individual liberty,and conventional values,frequently visited college campuses to speak and engage with students. His death has sparked a national conversation about political violence and the safety of public figures.
