Just hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed on 10/9 at Utah Valley University, Riley McArdle, president of the University of Alabama College Republicans, started receiving messages from fellow students.

While many offered condolences, a disturbing number included leaked screenshots from private student chat rooms. Some showed Kirk clutching his neck, trying to stem the bleeding immediately after being shot. One commenter, according to McArdle, even expressed excitement over the incident.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a memorial at TPUSA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on 12/9. Photo: Reuters

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a memorial at TPUSA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on 12/9. Photo: Reuters

"Those people are truly sick in the head and the heart," McArdle said. "They need to do some serious soul-searching."

Kirk, a close political ally of former President Donald Trump, built his influence as co-founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative youth organization active on over 3,500 campuses across the US.

He gained notoriety among young people for his fiery, confrontational debates with students, particularly those with liberal views. Videos of Kirk sparring with young people over issues like abortion rights and transgender rights drew millions of views online.

Now, Kirk’s assassination has become a dominant topic of conversation on college campuses already deeply polarized by the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Patrick Done, a junior at the University of Southern California and head of the school's College Democrats, said he and others in his group were horrified by the images of Kirk’s shooting. "Seeing someone shot at point-blank range, and the life leave their eyes, is shocking," he said. "I think it will leave a scar on this generation and impact us greatly."

Done acknowledges that some who disliked Kirk have said he "deserved it," but believes they are a small minority whose voices are amplified by social media. "Everyone agrees that the violence has to stop. We may not have agreed with Charlie Kirk's politics, but he was still a human being, a husband, and a father," Done emphasized.

Kirk was on his fall 2025 speaking tour and scheduled to visit at least 9 more universities when he was shot at Utah Valley University.

Students attend a prayer vigil for Kirk at Texas A&M University. Photo: College Station Eagle

Students attend a prayer vigil for Kirk at Texas A&M University. Photo: College Station Eagle

Hunter Gracey, leader of the College Republicans at Northwestern University, said he was watching the debate via livestream when he saw Kirk collapse. Hours later, he opened a group chat discussing the game "Dungeons & Dragons" and found people mocking Kirk.

"MAGA prank: Charlie Kirk gets shot at speaking event," one person wrote. Gracey immediately left the chat. "I'm never going back," he stated firmly.

At Duke University, Zander Pitrus, a member of the school's College Republicans, reported seeing social media posts from left-leaning students expressing glee, which he found "disgusting and disappointing."

"It's bad, I'm really not sure if we can ever bridge the gap between the right and the left," he said.

However, there are signs of students coming together. At Yale University, leaders of both the College Republicans and the College Democrats co-authored an essay condemning Kirk's assassination. "We disagree on many things. But on this, we agree: Political violence is wrong, unequivocally wrong, and it has no place in America," they wrote.

Christian Thomas, a senior and president of the Yale College Democrats, said his coalition will be working harder to find ways to collaborate with Republicans on preventing gun violence. "We will never stop looking for answers," he said.

Even while condemning the assassination, however, some students and even university professors continued to criticize Kirk.

"It's hard to stomach seeing Charlie Kirk lauded as a free speech hero after his death," said Drew Daniel, a professor in the English department at Johns Hopkins University. "The websites his organization ran were designed to intimidate and harass professors. I don't think you do that if you actually care about free speech."

Daniel was listed on the "Professor Watchlist" website run by Kirk, which named hundreds of "radical professors." He was added in 2023 after signing a letter from the Council on American-Islamic Relations expressing "solidarity with the Palestinian people." The website labeled him a "terrorist supporter" and "anti-Semitic."

Kirk's death is also sparking debate about how to ensure the safety of speakers on campuses.

"This is going to open up a whole new line of thinking at universities," said Kevin Kruger, president emeritus of NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. "Are they really prepared to provide security for a nationally known speaker?"

A prayer vigil for Kirk at Orem Central Park, Utah, on 11/9. Photo: Reuters

A prayer vigil for Kirk at Orem Central Park, Utah, on 11/9. Photo: Reuters

Kim Montesinos, president of the Hofstra University Student Government Association, is planning a prayer vigil for Kirk. She has arranged for security not just for this event but for all upcoming association meetings.

Vu Hoang (WSJ, AFP, Reuters)