KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) More than 300 people filled Central Square in downtown Keene on Monday night for a candlelight vigil honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month.

The gathering drew families with young children, local business owners, pastors, and elected officials, including former U.S. Senator Scott Brown. The crowd listened to prayers, hymns, and reflections on Kirk’s life and work, many of them emphasizing his deep Christian faith and dedication to Turning Point USA, the conservative student organization he founded.

Pastor J. Matthew Worrall of Grace Christian Fellowship in Winchester delivered one of the evening’s keynote remarks, drawing on the words of Robert F. Kennedy after the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

“A sniper is only a coward, not a hero,” Worrall read. “Violence breeds violence, repression breeds retaliation, and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our souls. But we can perhaps remember…that those who live with us are our brothers, and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us, and to become in our hearts, brothers and countrymen once again.”

Worrall went on to describe Kirk’s devotion to his faith, his wife Erica, their children, and his mission to spread Christian and conservative values. He pointed to the surge of new members in Turning Point USA in the days following Kirk’s death as evidence of his lasting influence.

“Charlie loved deeply — his God, his country, his fellow countrymen. He wasn’t perfect, but he never pretended to be,” Worrall said. “Even those who opposed him, he listened to. Imagine what it would be like if we started listening to each other again?”

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Police said a lone shooter opened fire, striking Kirk once in the neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect was arrested hours later and is being held without bail.

The assassination sent shockwaves through conservative and political circles nationwide. Kirk had risen to prominence in his early 20s as the founder of Turning Point USA, which grew into one of the most influential youth conservative movements in the country.