‘Stunned and saddened’: Long Beach responds to killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
'We support vigorous public debate of the issues of our time, but stand squarely against political violence of any form,' said a Cal State Long Beach spokesperson.
The assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University sent shockwaves to all corners of the politisphere Wednesday, including Long Beach.
Kirk, 31, was debating college students on campus about many hot-button issues, including gun violence, as part of his American Comeback Tour when a single shot rang out. Video shows Kirk's body jerk back before blood gushes from his neck.
The roughly 3,000 people attending the event fled the scene as Kirk was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
No suspect is in custody as the manhunt continues for the shooter, but the FBI has released images of a person of interest. The agency is offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the man, it said in a social media post.
The gunman appeared to have fired from a nearby building, according to a reports.
Politicians of all affiliations, at all levels of government, spoke out Wednesday against political violence and condemned the attack on Kirk.
“Political violence is never acceptable. Regardless of differing viewpoints, we all have a right to participate freely in our democracy with civility and compassion,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement Wednesday. “My thoughts are with our nation, the students of Utah Valley University, and the Kirk family.”
Long Beach Rep. Robert Garcia echoed the mayor’s sentiment, saying “political violence has no place in our country.”
“Americans must stand united against the horrific attack on Charlie Kirk and denounce all forms of violence,” Garcia said on X less than an hour after the attack. “Our thoughts are with Mr. Kirk and his family.”
Garcia found himself in the middle of a Department of Justice probe earlier this year after the congressman used a metaphor to describe the current state of American politics as a “bar fight” that requires “actual weapons.”
Kirk was no stranger to Long Beach, having held multiple controversial events at Cal State Long Beach. In 2018, Kirk and conservative pundit Candice Owens visited the campus for a Turning Point USA event, which drew hundreds of attendees as well as protesters.
Kirk returned to campus in May, also as part of his American Comeback Tour. More than 1,000 people attended the outdoor event, during which Kirk covered topics including immigration, the LGBTQ+ community, Israel-Palestine conflict, inflation and more, according to the Long Beach Current.
“Our community is stunned and saddened by today’s events. We've reached out to members of Turning Point USA here on campus,” CSULB spokesperson Jeff Cook said in a statement Wednesday. “We support vigorous public debate of the issues of our time, but stand squarely against political violence of any form.”
The Cal State Long Beach chapter of Turning Point posted Thursday morning that members are “deeply shocked and saddened by the death of our founder, president, and hero.”
In subsequent posts, students praised Kirk as a “genuine person” and an “inspiration.”
“Charlie Kirk helped me become confident in who I am and what I believe,” said one member identified only as Lainie. “He showed me what it means to stand up, stand proud and never apologize for the values that shape me.”
Many Democratic legislators cited Kirk’s murder, as well as a school shooting in Evergreen, CO that left two students hospitalized and the student shooter dead, as more examples of why the U.S. needs increased regulations around guns.
“This is horrific. This is awful,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said of Kirk’s murder. “But are we going to do something or are we going to argue over rhetoric? We have to pass gun safety legislation and stop this.”
Kirk, for his part, was staunchly against any form of gun control.
“You will never live in a society where you have an armed citizenry and you won’t have a single gun death. I think it’s worth it,” Kirk said in a 2018 interview. “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
Conservatives, meanwhile, were quick to place the blame for the shooting on Democrats as a whole. In a video posted to social media, Trump blamed Democrats for Kirk’s death, saying it is the “tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible.”
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” Trump continued. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today. And it must stop right now.”
Other conservatives such as Rep. Nancy Mace followed suit, saying “Democrats own what happened today,” despite the fact that no suspect is in custody and no motive for the shooting is known at this time.
Right-wing Fox News commentator Jesse Watters went so far as to say Democrats are “at war” with Republicans. The result has been an outcry from conservatives against all Democrats. Many people on social media are calling the Democratic party as a whole “evil” and a “terrorist organization.”
While the Long Beach Police Department said there is no connection between the incident and the city, the department is “closely monitoring the investigation” and is staying in contact with local, regional and federal partners, according to spokesperson Allison Gallagher.
“We are evaluating resource allocations to ensure we are providing optimal safety for large events in our city and will be working to increase our visibility and presence in and around any similar events which are brought to our attention,” Gallagher said in an email Wednesday. “To our residents and visitors alike, please remain cognizant of your surroundings and maintain situational awareness at all public events and immediately report any suspicious activity to the Long Beach Police Department by calling Police Dispatch at 562.435.6711. Always call 9-1-1 for emergencies.”
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