Updated at 7:59 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
More than 7,000 people filled Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins Thursday evening as students and community members attended the vigil of Charlie Kirk hosted by Turning Point USA.
The event was meant to feature Kirk’s famed “prove me wrong” debate-style forum on the Colorado State University campus. The conservative activist was fatally shot last week while speaking at Utah Valley University. That event was the first stop on his national American Comeback Tour. CSU was the next stop.
Ahead of the evening’s events, a group of area motorcycle riders organized a ride in connection with the vigil. Skyler Lundin, who spearheaded the gathering, said he wasn’t particularly worried about safety at the candlelight vigil, particularly since it was being held in the stadium venue. He said the ride was more about respect for Kirk’s death.
“The way I see it, how I was raised, my parents raised me a hippie and it's love,” Lundin told CPR News. “That's their message. You can have your opinions, you can have this, but (at) the end of the day, you still got to show love for everybody.”
