Utah Valley University classes resumed Wednesday, leaving traumatized students facing “countless reminders” of last week’s on-campus assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed by a single bullet last Wednesday while speaking at an event at the university in Orem during his American Comeback Tour — sending hordes of onlookers and students sprinting to safety.
“I was literally a few feet away from him and when the tragic shooting happened, I was squarely facing him, so I watched that unfold,” Nyasha Paradzai, a UVU senior, told CNN.
“In my world, you don’t hear guns. This was very new for me, not only to hear one, but to have it fired at someone right in front of you and have them bleed out in front of you was horrific,” he said.
The international student from Zimbabwe is now navigating how to cope with “countless reminders of the event, countless things that have made me relive that,” he recalled.
“Right now, I’m working to get that horrific image out of my head, because, you know, it’s almost every time you close your eyes, you see it again,” Paradzai said.
Roughly 46,000 students attend the state’s largest public university, 40 miles from Salt Lake City, according to UVU’s website.
Kirk’s event on campus last Wednesday drew roughly 3,000 attendees to watch the right-wing influencer engage in open-air debate.
“Both me and my friend can still hear the gunshot clearly in our minds. We can’t get it out of our heads. It’s something that we can’t forget,” another UVU junior, Tiana Lao, told the outlet.
She recalled feeling instantaneous panic upon returning to the university on Friday after being asked to fulfill a media request.
“I thought I was going to be fine until I got there … My hands – I couldn’t stop shaking. And my heart was racing.”
UVU will offer free mental health services for students navigating trauma from the shooting through at least the remainder of the week, according to the university.
Stay up to date on the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
A “Vigil for Unity” will also he held on campus on Friday to “provide a space for students, faculty, staff, and community members to come together in remembering, healing, and reaffirming shared values.”
“This attack was not just on an individual, but on the spirit of free expression, civil discourse, and intellectual inquiry that sits at the very foundation of our university,” Astrid S. Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University, said in a statement Tuesday about the vigil.
“The violence that occurred on our campus has shaken us deeply. We remain steadfast in our commitment to learning, dialogue, and the values that unite us, even in times of grief.”
“Together we choose hope for the future, and care for each other during this time.”
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah local, confessed Friday morning to fatally shooting Kirk.
He allegedly fired the single, fatal shot from the top of the Losee Center Building at UVU some 200 yards from where Kirk was seated in a pop-up tent, authorities have said.
Seven state charges were announced against Robinson — including the top rap of aggravated murder, which qualifies for the death penalty in Utah.
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