The body has cooled, the passions have subsided, and now we can look more calmly at what happened. Several days have passed since the murder of political activist Charlie the Geek—a name most people, including the author of this article, only heard for the first time after the fatal shots were fired.
The event stirred outrage not only in the United States but across the world.
Charlie was often described in the media as a conservative influencer, right-wing, or simply popular among online audiences. He considered himself a Trump supporter, and while Trump acknowledged him, he never gave Charlie a role or the level of recognition his popularity might have suggested. Yet as soon as the news of the shooting broke—before Charlie’s death was even confirmed—Trump called for a full FBI investigation. Once the suspect was identified, he went further, demanding the death penalty.
As so often happens, Charlie now enters history not for his life’s work, but for the manner of his death. Consider the example of Martin, killed in 1969 in the United States: most people today remember only that he was murdered, not what he achieved beforehand.
The killer of Charlie the Geek turned out to be the son of a police officer. He was caught on video, widely circulated online, and quickly recognized by his own parents. After a few days of tense conversations, they persuaded him to surrender voluntarily to the police.
Authorities reported that he refused to cooperate with the investigation. Still, the media quickly put forward the most likely motive: that he was enraged by Charlie’s public statements against transgender people—statements that targeted individuals like the killer’s own roommate, with whom he had a personal relationship.
Even more shocking is that the murder took place at a public event, in front of both supporters and critics. Despite the scale of the gathering, video evidence suggests there was no security presence at all. The shooter managed to fire, escape calmly from the rooftop, and hide at home for several days before giving himself up.
Charlie’s wife, known as Miss Arizona (famous for her saying, “Don’t be born beautiful, be born happy”), has already forgiven the killer. She has promised to continue her husband’s work.
