An estimated 300 to 350 people gathered in light rain Friday night at Maxfield Park in Batesville for a candlelight memorial honoring Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, who was shot and killed earlier this month in Utah.
The Batesville service was among several held across Arkansas and the nation. (Scroll down for images from Friday night’s service in Batesville.) In Mountain Home, organizers expected about 600 mourners at Hickory Park, but local reports said more than 2,000 attended. Another gathering was held on Sunday at the Stone County Courthouse in Mountain View.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared Sunday a statewide “Day of Prayer and Reflection for Charlie Kirk,” praising him in her proclamation as a conservative voice who “brought light to a dark world.”
Meanwhile, tens of thousands filled an arena in Glendale, Ariz., for a national memorial where former President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and commentator Tucker Carlson paid tribute. At that event, Kirk’s widow, Erika, publicly forgave the man accused of killing him.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. Tyler James Robinson, 22, has been charged with murder.
All photos by Kailseigh Barnes, White River Now
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