Charlie Kirk shooting live updates: FBI releases photos of person of interest as search for shooter continues

In a lengthy statement posted to Charlie Kirk’s X account on Thursday, Turning Point USA mourned the loss of its 31-year-old leader.

“Every one of us at Turning Point USA is crushed and devastated by the hateful murder of our founder and guiding light, Charlie Kirk,” the post began. “All of us have lost a mentor, a leader, and a friend.”

The organization, which Kirk cofounded in 2012, called him “the ideal husband and the perfect father” and asked people to pray for his wife and two children.

“Charlie was no stranger to threats,” the statement continued. “He received thousands throughout his life. But he always prioritized reaching as many young Americans as possible over his own personal safety. Now, Charlie has become America’s greatest martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored.”

“Although Charlie is gone, his legacy will endure,” the group added. “None of us will ever forget him.”

Kirk’s last post on X before his death called for the politicization of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death aboard a Charlotte, N.C., train last month. President Trump has called for the death penalty in the case. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., was charged this week with “committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system,” which could make him eligible for the death penalty.

“If we want things to change, it’s 100% necessary to politicize the senseless murder of Iryna Zarutska,” Kirk wrote. “Because it was politics that allowed a savage monster with 14 priors to be free on the streets to kill her.”