‘I Forgive Him!’ Erika Kirk Absolves Her Husband’s Suspected Assassin in Utterly Heart-Wrenching Moment

Erika Kirk said she forgives the young man who is suspected of killing her husband, Charlie Kirk, at the slain conservative activist’s memorial service on Sunday — in a stirring moment that led to a 46-second standing ovation from the stadium crowd.

Mrs. Kirk absolves the suspected killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, towards the end of her eulogy at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Between breaks to wipe away tears and long pauses to collect herself, Kirk said she was forgiving the killer because that is what her husband would do, and because it is what their Christian faith calls them to do.

“That young man, that young man…” Kirk said at the podium, before quoting from the Bible. “On the cross, our savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’

After another pause, she said: “That man, that young man, I forgive him.”

Those words led to an immediate response from the crowd, with many people getting on their feet to cheer her on. Erika Kirk took the moment to pat down tears from her eyes.

“I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do,” she said a moment later. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know, from the Gospel, is love and always love.”

She added that her husband’s mission in life was to help “save young men,” including men like his suspected killer.

You can watch her forgive the shooter in the clip above, via CNN.