The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk walked off Air Force Two hand-in-hand with Second Lady Usha Vance on Tuesday as the aircraft carrying Kirk’s casket returned to his home state of Arizona, officials and witnesses said.
Erika Frantzve, dressed in black and wearing sunglasses, was accompanied off the plane by Usha Vance, who put an arm around her and then clasped her hand as they descended the stairs. Formerly reported details and photos showed U.S. military personnel loading and unloading a mahogany casket on the aircraft; family members, including Kirk’s two young children and his parents, were on board for the flight from Utah.
A funeral is planned for next week, and President Donald Trump said he will attend. Trump also announced that Kirk will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom; details and timing of any ceremony were not immediately disclosed by the White House.
Kirk, 31, a co-founder of the conservative campus organization Turning Point USA and a prominent supporter of former President Trump, was fatally shot on Wednesday afternoon while speaking at a Utah Valley University event in Orem. Authorities have said the fatal wound was a single gunshot to the neck and that the suspect may have fired from a distance of about 200 feet from where Kirk was seated under a tent.
Federal and local investigators are continuing to search for the suspect. The FBI released images of a man it identified as a "person of interest" and asked the public to help identify him; the agency also announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of anyone responsible for the shooting. Security footage that investigators shared showed a man leaping from the roof of a building and fleeing the area after the shooting.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators "appear to be of college age," and that the gunman "blended in well with the college institution." Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said more than 200 people have been interviewed as part of the investigation and denounced the killing, calling it politically motivated. Cox also noted the state’s death penalty remains in place.
Investigators have recovered several pieces of evidence in the probe. According to a law enforcement memo reported by the Wall Street Journal, bullets recovered from the scene were linked to a Mauser rifle that bore engraved markings described in the memo as referencing transgender and antifascist ideology; officials said messages were found on spent and unspent rounds. A bolt-action rifle recovered in a wooded area near the campus is believed by investigators to be the murder weapon, law enforcement sources said.
Authorities have not publicly declared a motive. Trump, speaking at the Pentagon on Thursday, said he had an idea of what drove the suspect and said authorities were making "big progress," but provided no details. On his social media platform, he blamed rhetoric on the political left for contributing to violence, saying such language "must stop right now." JD Vance, the U.S. senator and husband of the second lady, accompanied the delegation and has described Kirk as a friend.
Kirk’s killing has prompted tributes from across the political spectrum and intensified debate about political rhetoric and campus safety. He rose to prominence through Turning Point USA, an organization that seeks to promote conservative values on college campuses and has been a visible force in conservative youth outreach and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Local and federal investigators asked anyone with information or tips to contact the FBI or Utah law enforcement. As the inquiry continues, officials said they would release further details when appropriate.
Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two young children. Authorities and organizers said additional arrangements for memorial services would be announced in the coming days.