The wife of Charlie Kirk has disclosed how she told their young daughter about his passing.
Speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10, the conservative commentator and right-wing activist was shot and died.
The gunman, who was thought to have been acting alone, was standing on a neighboring university rooftop when he shot Kirk once with a bolt action rifle.
Two days later, the FBI reported that they had taken Utah resident Tyler Robinson, 22, into custody as their main suspect.
The 31-year-old’s wife, Erika Kirk, and his two young children—a daughter who turned three in August and a son who turned one in May—are his only survivors.
After the arrest, the evangelical Christian spoke out about the horror that has befallen her family on Friday, September 12, live streaming from her husband’s podcast room behind a podium.
The 36-year-old mother tragically disclosed how she had to inform her kid of the situation.
“When I got home last night Gigi, our daughter, just ran into my arms and I talked to her and she said, Mommy i miss you’ and I said ‘I miss you too, baby,” and she goes, “Where’s daddy?”
“How do you tell a three-year-old? She’s three.”
Erika continued: “And I said, ‘Daddy loves you so much baby, he’s on a work trip with Jesus so he can afford your blueberry budget.’”
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the former Miss Arizona USA star also thanked the White House, Kirk’s staff, and first responders for their response to the killing. She also thanked President Donald Trump, whom she said her husband “loved” and “knew that you [Trump] loved him too.”
In her speech, she addressed the ‘evil-doers responsible’ for the tragedy, but she did not specifically name the alleged shooter.
“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife, the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” she continued.
“They should all know this: if you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before you have no idea, you have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world.”
At the college event for the first stop of his ‘American Comeback Tour’, Kirk, who was a member of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization and conservative youth activist group, was shot once in the neck and killed.
After marrying the media star in 2021, Erika has promised to carry on her husband’s work on his podcast, radio program, and university tour in order to preserve his mission.
She added that Kirk had a deep affection for his family, the Chicago Cubs, the outdoors, and America.
“Most of all Charlie loved his children and he loved me with all of his heart and I knew that everyday. He made sure I knew that everyday,” Erika continued. “Everyday he would ask me, ‘How can I serve you better? How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better father?’”
“I know my husband is still here. He’s watching over us,” she said before thanking him directly as a ‘good and faithful servant.’
