Charlie Kirk’s body arrives at Phoenix mortuary after flying aboard Air Force Two
PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — Air Force Two, the plane carrying the casket of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, landed successfully at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Thursday and the casket is now in the hands of a Phoenix mortuary.
Kirk’s body arrived at Hansen Mortuary Chapel on Seventh Street, just north of Northern Avenue just after 5:30 p.m. The hearse got a police escort from the airport.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday he plans to be a part of the services that may be held next week for Kirk. Details of a viewing or funeral haven’t been released.
Also on board Air Force Two was Vice President JD Vance, who was close with Kirk, and Second Lady Usha Vance, who flew to Salt Lake City to retrieve Kirk’s casket.
Kirk’s family and some of his friends were also on board the plane.
Vance shuffled his schedule on Thursday, nixing plans to attend a Sept. 11 commemoration in New York City and heading instead to Utah, where Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday.
While in Utah, Vance and his wife were to meet with Kirk’s family and close friends, the person with knowledge told the AP. JD Vance talked about his relationship with Kirk in a roughly 1,000-word eulogy on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Temporary flight restrictions are in place around Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport until 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Kirk was killed by a single shot as he was speaking on the Utah Valley University campus. The shooter appeared to be of college age and blended in on the university campus where Kirk was killed, said Beau Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. Law enforcement later recovered a Mauser .30 caliber bolt-action rifle hidden in a towel in a wooded area near the university campus.
On Thursday morning, the FBI released two photos of a person of interest in connection with the shooting. The photos show a person wearing a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeve black shirt.
Two people detained Wednesday were released after neither was determined to be connected to the shooting. Officials later expressed confidence they had tracked the shooter’s movements on campus in the run-up to it.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.
Graphic video showed a group of men rushing an injured Kirk into an SUV as the crowd dispersed amid chaos.
Kirk had long focused on energizing young conservatives with speaking events like the one at Utah Valley University, where the shooting occurred. He launched his organization, Turning Point USA, in 2012, targeting younger people and venturing onto liberal-leaning college campuses.
Turning Point USA’s national headquarters is located in downtown Phoenix and Kirk lived in the Valley. Vigils were held across the Valley in remembrance of Kirk.
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