OREM, Utah (AP) – A student stayed in his house for two days after witnessing Charlie Kirk assassination, which was nervous as he returned to the Utah campus where conservative activists were shot dead. Another couldn’t fall asleep or shake what she saw and heard, calling her father to take her home.
As investigators emerged Tuesday before the initial court appearance on Tuesday, students who witnessed the estimated trauma, grief and pall of the community that killed the suspect Tyler James Robinson over the weekend.
Robinson’s arrest later Thursday scared people. Still, questions about the so-called shooter’s motivation and plan remain, as well as safety errors, which allow a man with a rifle to shoot Kirk from the roof before he escapes.
The university said safety will improve when the courses resume on September 17.
About 240 miles (390 kilometers) southwest of Robinson’s home campus, the existence of law enforcement officers has been greatly reduced after the FBI executed a search warrant at the family’s home. Authorities say a gray Dodge Challenger who was driving to UVU appeared to have been towed.
No one answered the doors at his family’s home in Washington, Utah on Saturday, and the shutters were closed.
The killing prompted people to plead for civilization in American political discourse, but these appeals were not always paid attention, with some criticizing Kirk after death being fired or suspended from their work.
Last Friday, Office Depot said it opened a worker at a Michigan store that was seen in videos and refused to print flyers for Kirk Vigil and called them “promotion.” A conservative internet figure filmed a video outside the home of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois, on Thursday, urging viewers to “take action” after Kirk’s assassination. Pritzker’s security has been strengthened.
Kirk has been paid tribute to Utah Valley University in a temporary memorial near the main entrance to Orem. The cars cycled through nearby streets Saturday, honking their horns, hanging the American flag, and displaying messages like “We Love You Charlie”, “Charlie 4” and “Rip Charlie.”
In an area where the U.S. turned co-founder was shot dead, a crew member began to remove tents and banners and wiped out reminders of the murder.
Student Alec Vera finally left home to drive up and stopped at the memorial on Friday night. Vera said he has been in a daze since watching Kirk fall about 30 or 40 feet (9 to 12 meters) in front of him, unable to focus and avoid people.
“I just felt the need to come here and be with everyone, either comfort or comfort, just be with those who are mourning,” Vera said.
A woman kneels down and sobbs. Others stood quietly or whispered to their friends. Around the campus, trees are wrapped in red ribbons.
The student who escaped the shooting was left behind the keys in the parking lot. A student begged an officer to get his bike back from the police tape and smiled as the officer allowed him to pass through. The university says people can pick up their belongings early next week.
Student Marjorie Holt began crying when she brought flowers to campus on Thursday, prompting her to change her mind about returning to campus this weekend.
Hours after the shooting, the 18-year-old said she was lying in bed, haunted by the horror she witnessed: Kirk answered a question, then a gunshot, and then I saw him fall down, I saw blood, but for some reason it couldn’t click what happened to me. ”
Unable to fall asleep due to headaches, nausea and the trauma of the day, she called her father, who brought her home to Salt Lake City, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north.
When he returned to campus, Holt said, “it felt like a terrible thing, like a burden in my heart.”
Kirk was shot dead in the main campus gathering venue — students took naps, meditated, did homework and hang out, Vera said.
“When I go back, I feel very uncomfortable at first, knowing that I have to pass through it every time, knowing what just happened here,” Vera said.
Student Alexis Narciso said he flashed back when he heard an explosion, a honking horn or other loud noise. He is about 10 feet (3 meters).
“I’m just numb. I feel nothing,” Narciso said. “I want to cry, but at the same time, I don’t.”
Jessa Packard, a single mother of two who lives near campus, said her uneasiness did not disappear even if a suspect was detained. Packard’s home security system captured videos of Dodge Challenger, and police said Robinson drove to campus. She said law enforcement officers landed near her after the shooting, searching for codes and shooting security videos.
“It’s really weird, and honestly, my personal fear of me hasn’t gone away,” Packard said. “In fact, I have this murderer near me and don’t know where he is, but knowing that he’s been through it and getting things straight is really a creepy feeling.”
Halle Hanchett, 19, a student at nearby Brigham Young University, said she had just pulled out her phone and started filming Kirk, and then a group breathing place. Hanchett said she saw the blood and Kirk’s security team ran forward, with horror on her face around her. She fell to the ground at the position of the fetus, wondering, “What’s going on? Am I going to die?”
On Friday, she brought flowers and stared quietly into the area where Kirk’s “American Recback Tour kicked off” to end with violence.
“I’m just the last few days, and haven’t said much, I’m just staring like a Zone.” Hanchet and his fiancé stood, as the fountain popped up nearby. “Memory, it’s just a replay.”
She prayed for the strength to move forward and she said, “Take it like: ‘Well, I’m here for that. How can I learn? How can I help others learn from it?
In Robinson’s hometown, neighbor Kris Schwiermann recalls that he was a shy, hardworking and “very respectful” student who loved reading. Schwiermann, 66, is the principal of the elementary school where Robinson and his siblings attended.
She said the news of her arrest shocked her, describing Robinson as a “very close family.”
Like the Robinsons, Schwiermann was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They belonged to the same congregation, she said, although she said the family had not been active in the church for at least eight years.
“I want to make sure people know we don’t feel anything uncomfortable with our family or him,” Schwiermann said. “He made the wrong choice.”
