The Oklahoma State Capital

Local leaders and residents took to social media Wednesday to share their reactions to the assassination of Turning Point USA founder and podcaster Charlie Kirk.

Guthrie Mayor Adam Ropp posted a statement in the Real Talk Around Guthrie Facebook group, writing:

“The loss of Charlie Kirk is beyond heartbreaking. It reminds us how fragile life is and that we must be able to disagree without violence. At the end of the day, as Guthrians, we are all on the same side — neighbors, friends, family. I love you all.”

In contrast to Ropp’s statement, local activist Stef Fortney, known for organizing a 2023 Pride Month event at the Guthrie Shoppes, described her initial reaction to news of the shooting as a feeling of “relieved justice.” She added that she struggled with the emotion and sought not to embrace it.

September 10, Guthrie, OKLA, A selection of comments on Guthrie businesswoman Lisa Sorrell’s Facebook post about Charlie Kirk’s shooting captured the sentiments of some local residents in real time as news of the assassination broke.

Fortney’s comment appeared on the Facebook page of Guthrie business owner Lisa Sorrell. Shortly after initial reports of the shooting, Sorrell posted a purported quote from Kirk regarding Second Amendment policy observing that the Constitution's allowance for citizen gun ownership would also entail innocent victimhood. Sorrell's post came before confirmation of his death and drew a range of anit-Kirk responses, including some seeming to express satisfaction with the outcome.

Sorrell liked several of the replies including that of a commentator who suggested that perhaps Kirk would survive but would live "paralyzed from the mouth on down," and another that stated, "As someone close to me just said, 'F**k that guy.""

Sorrell, the proprietor of Guthrie-based Sorrell Custom Boots who has received international recognition for designing Western footwear, often uses her Facebook page as a personal journal. She has written frequently about her spiritual evolution and frequently critiques both conservative policies and evangelical Christianity.