Pastor recalls last moments with Charlie Kirk: ‘American martyr’

FIRST ON FOX: Pastor Jack Hibbs, a close friend of Charlie Kirk, told Fox News Digital he was in disbelief when he heard the conservative firebrand had been assassinated after having spoken to him just hours earlier.

“My initial thoughts, of course, like everyone else, is what is going on in our country?” Hibbs said. “But then quickly, I think my second thought, which is the prevailing thought, is Charlie was obviously a young man of not only profound intellect, he had a great faith in Jesus.”

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Wednesday at the kickoff of his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University. He leaves behind his wife, Erika, and two young children, ages 1 and 3.

Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California, said Kirk had “a love for the Bible” and the pair “spent the last several years going through the Scriptures together.”

Kirk’s assassination made him an “American martyr” that will encourage an entire generation of “untold Charlies who will follow in his footsteps,” he said. 

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Hibbs and Kirk have collaborated over the last five years on their podcast shows and culture events. Kirk was invited several times over the years to speak at Hibbs’ church, born out of the Jesus People movement, on topics ranging from gender identity, abortion and school choice to biblical prophecy. 

Just hours before Kirk kicked off his American Comeback Tour, where he planned to travel across the U.S. to college campuses and invite liberal students to debate and ask him questions publicly, Hibbs reached out asking if he could get his brother entry into the Utah event.

“Charlie was so kind and generous to let this stranger have a front row seat,” Hibbs said. “And I know that that was Charlie loving on me by loving on my brother. And that’s just who he was, extremely, extremely generous.”

“My brother sent me pictures of him and Charlie, standing together before the event started and everything looked great,” Hibbs said. “And then my brother called me immediately during the shooting, I could hear people screaming and running, and my brother was about 25 to 35 feet away from Charlie.”

Hibbs urged Kirk’s supporters to remember his killing was “not the end of Charlie,” because he had immense faith. 

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“This just galvanized an entire generation of not only those who follow Charlie, but those who criticized him. They watched a young man lay down his life for his cause,” Hibbs said. “And I do believe that the result of today is going to backfire on anyone who had nefarious plots to silence Charlie.”

One of the last appearances of Kirk at Hibbs’ church was in March, an event titled, “A Christian or Pagan Nation.”

“What a lot of people don’t realize is they see the Charlie Kirk, so to speak, in his armor, right on stage or on the university campus, but Charlie was a very tender-hearted young man, very, very empathetic,” Hibbs said.

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Kirk rose to prominence during the 2016 election cycle, emerging as one of the most influential voices in the MAGA movement and cultivating a close relationship with the Trump family. As the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), he built a nationwide platform that amplified the voices of young conservatives and brought them into the political arena.

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Through large-scale TPUSA events, Kirk positioned himself as a bridge between lawmakers and grassroots youth activists, creating direct connections between the political establishment and a new generation of conservative leaders. His efforts extended to specialized gatherings such as the Black Leadership Summit, where young participants were even invited to the White House during President Donald Trump‘s first term, offering them a rare opportunity to engage face-to-face with the president.