A vigil held in the US capital of Washington on Sunday for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk reportedly drew a “full house” of mourners, including top Republican officials, as authorities said the man arrested in connection with the killing was not cooperating.
Advertisement
Among those in the 2,460-seat concert hall at the Kennedy Centre in Washington were House Speaker Mike Johnson, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, where US President Donald Trump has installed a loyal board that named him chair, said in a statement that there was “not an empty seat” in the concert hall on Sunday evening.
There were “hundreds, if not thousands, of people outside streaming the prayer vigil on their phones”, it said.
Kirk was fatally shot last Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University. The conservative activist, who founded the right-wing college group Turning Point USA, was 31.
Advertisement
His assassination sparked condemnations from top Republican and Democratic officials, derogatory online statements that have cost some social media posters their jobs, as well as various vigils and memorial services.