The assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at a Utah campus event has stunned the conservative movement and left his widow, Erika Kirk, in deep mourning. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck on September 10 while speaking to students at Utah Valley University. A polarizing public figure, Kirk had faced growing threats over the past year, largely due to his outspoken political activism and national prominence.

In an emotional interview with The New York Times, Erika recalled the devastating moment she learned of his death. While sitting in her mother’s hospital room in Phoenix, she received a call from Kirk’s longtime assistant, Michael McCoy. “In retrospect, I knew it before he screamed it — ‘He’s been shot!’” she said. Erika had initially planned to join Charlie in Utah but stayed behind to care for her ailing mother.

Erika revealed that Charlie had been warned repeatedly about security risks, especially as death threats had become more frequent. The night before his trip, she and a close friend urged him to wear a bulletproof vest or speak behind protective glass. But Charlie declined, saying, “Not yet,” placing his trust in his security team and the event’s preparations.

After the shooting, Erika insisted on seeing Charlie’s body despite law enforcement’s advice. “With all due respect, I want to see what they did to my husband,” she told them. At the hospital, she said goodbye with a final kiss, noting his “semi-open eyes” and a faint, peaceful smile: “He’d died happy.”

Authorities allege 22-year-old Tyler Robinson carefully planned the killing. A handwritten note found under his keyboard read, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” Prosecutors say his roommate—described as Robinson’s romantic partner—turned over the note and messages, including one sent after the shooting: “I’ve had enough of his hatred.”