Jackson Hole community members, tourists gather to grieve after Charlie Kirk's death
Bea Jones performs on the Town Square on Wednesday as part of a gathering honoring Charlie Kirk, a political commentator who was killed earlier that day at a debate event he was hosting at Utah Valley University. Photo by Pearl Spurlock, Jackson Hole Daily.
JACKSON — Hours after Charlie Kirk, a prolific organizer of conservative youth, was shot and killed in Utah on Wednesday, community members and tourists gathered at the Jackson Town Square to grieve.
Under the antler arches, Jackson country singer Bea Jones took to a podium covered in the American flag. She said the event she organized was not political, but rather an opportunity for unity and peace. Whether or not someone agreed with Kirk, Jones said, he deserved to live.
“Murdering someone is not love,” Jones said into a microphone before singing Christian praise and worship songs. “That’s not how you get a message across.”
Although only a few Jackson residents attended the event, dozens of tourists stopped on their way to dinner or shops to shed tears, embrace and thank Jones over the course of an hour. Her last song was the national anthem.
Kirk, 31, was speaking at a “Prove Me Wrong” debate hosted by his youth organization, Turning Point USA, on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. It was the first stop of his American Comeback Tour on campuses across the U.S., scheduled to run until the end of October. In April, Kirk drew a sold-out crowd of 1,800 students at the University of Wyoming.
Kirk had close ties to conservatives in the Equality State. He garnered support from the late Jackson billionaire Foster Friess and his son, Steve, as he built Turning Point USA in 2011. Kirk visited the University of Wyoming campus, built relationships with Wyoming Republicans and also addressed the Wyoming Republican Party at its 2020 State Convention and the Teton County GOP in 2023.
There was an outpouring of support from Wyoming Republicans across the state on Wednesday evening, including Gov. Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman, Wyoming Senate President Bo Biteman and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis. They all condemned Kirk’s killing and emphasized the importance of Americans’ right to speak openly and freely without fear.
Democrats in the Legislature also denounced the violence: “This cannot become a pattern in our country,” they said on Facebook. “It is reprehensible, and we cannot allow violent political rhetoric to become normalized in the political discourse.”
On the Senate Floor on Thursday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said, “Thirteen years ago, an organization called Turning Point USA was launched to fight back against liberal indoctrination on college campuses. It began as a little organization. It quickly grew into the dominant force of conservatism on college campuses. It became a national movement.”
Barrasso said that at the center of the movement was then-18-year-old Kirk, the “college dropout who brought debate and dialogue back to our country.”
Jones and other speakers in Jackson expressed similar admiration for Kirk’s push for free speech. Some attendees called for more respect, not judging each other for their opinions and unity “through a man named Jesus Christ.”
“We should be able to love anybody no matter what they believe, because that’s what this country was founded on, being able to talk freely and believe freely,” Jones said. “And we’ve gotten so far away from that.”
Laurie and John Dicerbo consoled each other on the square as they listened to Jones perform. Laurie wiped away tears. The couple from Long Island were visiting Jackson and stumbled upon the gathering. They said they met Kirk last year at their condo in Florida while he was looking for a home for his mother.
“He was an outstanding guy,” John Dicerbo said, holding up a picture of the three of them together. “Gracious, humble, and all he wanted to do is have a conversation.”
Not everyone who attended the vigil praised Kirk’s influence. One of those people, Jackson resident Julien Hass, didn’t mention Kirk or his politics but said his death should be a sign to get involved and listen to one another.
“Now that we’re getting closer to the midterms, we should all be concerned that this might keep happening,” he said. “My only message really is be respectful.”
This story was published on Sept. 12, 2025.