As RedState reported, it was revealed on Thursday that Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk's body would be flown from Utah to his home state of Arizona on Air Force Two, with Kirk's wife, Erika, also being on board and accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, along with other Kirk family members and friends.
Mr. Kirk, a beloved conservative icon who was respected by millions, was assassinated on Wednesday during an outdoor TPUSA event at Utah Valley University. He was 31, and the father of two precious young children.
Video taken ahead of the Air Force Two flight showed the vice president, who was a friend of Kirk's, helping transport the casket to the plane, as the Second Lady and Mrs. Kirk looked on. Later, Air Force Two safely landed in Phoenix, and Mrs. Vance was seen holding Mrs. Kirk's hand in a show of support as they deboarded.
SEE ALSO: A Heartbreaking Yet Beautiful Farewell From Turning Point USA
Another special moment amid the somber arrival of Air Force Two came from the air traffic control system at the Phoenix airport. Though it's unclear whether it was an air traffic controller or a pilot, a person was heard transmitting the message on the Sky Harbor control tower frequency, "Welcome home, Charlie. You didn’t deserve it. May God bless you and your family."
Watch/listen:
Here's a longer clip from a live feed, where the commenters were pretty lively:
Dunno about y'all, but I'm about to run out of Kleenex tissues:
Some even monitored the flight's progress and paid their respects as it passed over them:
President Trump, who broke news of Kirk's death on Wednesday, attended 9/11 remembrance events on Thursday while Vance traveled with the Kirk family. Trump has said he will be attending Kirk's funeral.
Kirk's killer remains at large. As we also reported, the FBI released new video footage of the suspect on Thursday, seen running away from the scene and jumping off a rooftop. Additional photos were also shared with the public:
The FBI is urging people to contact them with any tips, photos, or videos via the following methods:
An up to $100,000 reward is being offered "for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible" for murdering Kirk.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to RedState for updates.