Two vigils are scheduled to take place at Colorado State University on Thursday, Sept. 18, for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in Utah on Sept. 10.

Political Review’s CSU student chapter will host its event titled "For Free Speech. Against Political Violence," from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. local time, CSU spokesperson Tiana Kennedy noted in a news release, while Turning Point USA, a non-profit co-founded by Kirk, will host a vigil for Kirk from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. local time, The Coloradoan, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

CSU was scheduled to be the second stop in Turning Point USA's "The American Comeback Tour."

Kirk, 31, was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. The suspected shooter, publicly identified by authorities as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody Sept. 11, more than 24 hours after Kirk's killing.

What time is the vigil for Charlie Kirk in Colorado?

Colorado State University in Fort Collins will serve as the venue for two vigils for Kirk on Thursday, Sept. 18:

  • 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (MDT): The CSU chapter of Turning Point USA will hold a vigil in remembrance of Kirk at Canvas Stadium.
  • 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (MDT): Political Review’s CSU student chapter will host its event titled "For Free Speech. Against Political Violence," in the university’s Lory Student Center ballroom. The event is being organized by the National Ground Game, a political action committee formed in response to the 2024 election.

Political Review's event was previously scheduled to start at 4 p.m. but was moved in an effort to maximize attendance at both events, the chapter's co-president Patrick McCabe told the Coloradoan.

Watch vigil for Charlie Kirk at Colorado State University

USA TODAY will air a live stream of the vigil on its YouTube channel, scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. MDT on Thursday, Sept. 18.

CSU will operate under gameday security for vigils

CSU, in its news release, said both "externally hosted" events planned on campus will operate under CSU’s game-day security requirements, which means attendees must follow the university's clear bag policy and pass through magnetometers when entering the campus. The university added carrying firearms, whether openly or concealed, is illegal on college campuses in Colorado.

"CSU is only providing secure facilities and is not organizing any of the activities within the venues," Kennedy wrote. "As a public institution, CSU is legally required to uphold and protect the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This includes providing space for diverse viewpoints to be expressed, even when those viewpoints may be contentious or generate strong responses with the community."

Multiple vigils were initially planned to take place on Sept. 18 in Fort Collins, including one at the CSU Flower Trial Gardens and another at City Park, according to The Coloradoan. However, organizers of those events have since called them off and urged people who had planned to attend to instead go to the Turning Point USA vigil.

Contributing: The Coloradoan, part of the USA TODAY Network

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch live: Turning Point hosts vigil for Charlie Kirk at Colorado State

Reporting by Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect