A young bagpiper was seen playing outside the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, near a makeshift memorial for the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated this week.
In his tribute to Kirk, who was fatally shot and killed on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University, the young man played “America the Beautiful” while standing in the sun near a large cluster of balloons, flowers, and posters honoring the conservative who championed America and free speech:
The song was written in the 19th century and the lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates who was inspired by the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, according to Classic FM.
The final two verses of the song read:
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Kirk’s horrific murder shook the nation and the rest of the world, and millions of people are now mourning his loss. His alleged assassin was found and identified on Friday as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, according to Breitbart News.
Kirk’s grieving wife, Erika, was reportedly seen holding up a cross when she arrived in Arizona on Thursday, the outlet said.
“Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance accompanied Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk’s casket as it was transported to Phoenix, Arizona, aboard Air Force Two on Thursday alongside Kirk’s family. Images show the second lady holding hands with Kirk’s widow, Erika — both dressed in all black — as they descended the stairs of Air Force Two that day,” the article read.
The White House on Friday shared a video tribute to Kirk and called him a “fearless patriot & man of unwavering faith who dedicated his life to America.”
President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to award Kirk posthumously with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the nation’s highest civilian award, according to Breitbart News.
