Charlie Kirk’s body was flown Thursday on Air Force Two — the vice president’s plane — from Utah to Arizona, where he lived with his family.
The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon at an event at a Utah university. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and two young children.
Vice President JD Vance was seen helping carry Kirk’s casket on a tarmac in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a video posted on social media by Tyler Bower, who worked with Kirk at his organization Turning Point USA. The vice presidential aircraft would transport Kirk’s body to Phoenix, officials familiar with the matter had said earlier.
The plane landed in Phoenix shortly before 5 p.m. local time.
Kirk’s family and some of his friends were expected to travel with Vance and second lady Usha Vance to Arizona, officials said earlier Thursday.
Spokespeople for the vice president declined to comment.
Kirk was killed as he was speaking to a crowd at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” debate at Utah Valley University. A suspect has not yet been identified.
Kirk’s body was transferred from the hospital to a medical examiner’s office on Wednesday night, Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said.
Vance noted on Wednesday that he and Kirk were friends and said Kirk advocated “in public and private” for President Trump to pick him as his running mate last year. Vance praised Turning Point USA’s role in organizing pro-Trump events last year and credited Kirk with some of the Trump administration’s personnel decisions.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
Joe Walsh and
contributed to this report.
Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News.
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