'My cries will echo like a battle cry': Charlie Kirk's widow reacts to his assassination

'My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children,' she says in a video address

The widow of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Friday pledged to carry on her husband's work, after US authorities announced his alleged assassin had finally been captured.

The 31-year-old Kirk was hit by a single bullet while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University in the town of Orem on Wednesday. Kirk — founder of Turning Point USA, which he conceived as a conservative response to liberal organising platforms — was an electrifying presence on the US right, with a huge following that helped President Donald Trump build the youth vote in his election victory last November.

A heartbroken Erika Kirk, in her first public remarks on Friday, mourned the loss of "the perfect father...the perfect husband".

"My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children,” Erika said in a live video address.

"The evil-doers responsible for my husband's assassination have no idea what they have done," she said.

"You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife; the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry."

"The movement my husband built will not die. It won't. I refuse to let that happen," she said.

Erika thanked first responders and the countless supporters who have rallied behind her family since the tragic event. She also expressed deep gratitude to Trump and Vice President J D Vance for their support.

Kirk's hardline views on race, gender, gun ownership and other hot-button issues made him an intensely divisive figure, although even opponents praised his willingness to debate.

(With agency inputs)