A solemn image played out on national television Thursday evening as Vice President JD Vance shouldered the casket of his fallen friend, Charlie Kirk, onto Air Force Two. The moment, broadcast during Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, captured Vance walking in step with pallbearers, the weight of loss heavy on his face. Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, had been gunned down just a day earlier at a campus event in Utah, leaving the conservative movement reeling.
The killing came Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University in Orem, where Kirk was mid-debate with students when a single shot shattered the gathering. Eyewitness videos showed the crowd jolted into chaos as Kirk collapsed. Rushed to a nearby hospital, he briefly clung to life before succumbing to his injuries.
On Fox News, host Laura Ingraham turned to Pastor Rob McCoy, Kirk’s longtime spiritual advisor, to reflect on the scene of Vance carrying the casket. “Immensely painful,” McCoy said, according . “You know, with the vice president, I think he said it publicly, but he attributes his victory to Charlie and even being the vice president. And Charlie, amazingly, Charlie would see in people things that others didn’t see.”
McCoy recounted a personal story about his son’s rise under Kirk’s mentorship. “I remember when Charlie said, ‘I want [him] to come work for me’ and then he told me what he wanted him to do. I just thought, ‘I don’t think my boy can do that.’ I turn around one day, and Charlie’s turned him into a man I never imagined,” McCoy said. “Charlie was instrumental in that. He’s done that with so many people. And that’s how the vice president felt. His heart’s broken. All of ours are.”
As tributes poured in, J.D. Vance took to Twitter on Wednesday to share memories of a decade-long friendship with Charlie Kirk. The vice president wrote, “Charlie Kirk was a true friend. The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” Vance wrote. He described group chats with Kirk and allies that mixed politics with life’s milestones — weddings, children, even grief. “So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government,” Vance added.
Kirk’s body made its final journey from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two, accompanied by his family, Vice President Vance, and the Second Lady.
Phoenix Air Traffic Control sends a message to Charlie Kirk after landing in Arizona.
"Welcome home, Charlie. You didn’t deserve it. May God bless your family."
The world lost a great man. pic.twitter.com/2p9Co7g0JN
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 12, 2025
Meanwhile, federal authorities pressed forward with their investigation, announcing that they have captured the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, who wrote, “Hey fascist! Catch!”on the bullets.
[Read More: FBI Gives Update On Investigation]
