United States Vice President JD Vance has been spotted carrying the coffin of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk as it was placed onto Air Force Two, the plane reserved for the VP.
The video of the procession was posted to X by self-proclaimed conservative activist, Tyler Bowyer.
“Thank you for bringing our hero home @JDVance. We are so grateful for you,” the post reads.
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Kirk, 31, who was fatally shot on Wednesday during an event at a university in Utah, is reportedly being flown to Phoenix, where he lived.
Vance, a friend of Kirk’s, posted a long tribute to the influencer on social media, saying they became friends after Vance appeared on the Tucker Carlson show in 2017.
“Charlie wasn’t just a friend - he was like a little brother to me - and to millions of people around the world - he was a true inspiration,” Vance said in the tribute.
“Someone else pointed out that Charlie died doing what he loved: discussing ideas. He would go into these hostile crowds and answer their questions.”
“If it was a friendly crowd, and a progressive asked a question to jeers from the audience, he’d encourage his fans to calm down and let everyone speak. He exemplified a foundational virtue of our Republic: the willingness to speak openly and debate ideas.”
The FBI and state officials said the killer arrived on the university campus a few minutes before the start of the event, a debate led by Kirk titled “Prove Me Wrong” outdoors.
The bureau said it is offering a reward of up to $US100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the shooter, circulating CCTV images of a person of interest.
Investigators have yet to publicly discuss any motive, but President Donald Trump told reporters that he had an indication of the killer’s motivation. “We’ll let you know about that later,” he said, adding that law enforcement was making “big progress” in the investigation.
Trump also announced on Thursday he would posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- With Reuters
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