Overview

• Jones published a Sept. 9 direct message from Kirk inviting a “respectful conversation about crime and race” and promising a courteous exchange.
• He said he did not see the message until after learning of Kirk’s death, then shared his reflections on X, Instagram and Substack urging civility.
• The private outreach followed a heated public dispute tied to commentary on the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.
• Kirk was shot the next day during a Utah Valley University event in Orem, Utah, and authorities have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson.
• The FBI has reported texts in which Robinson wrote that he had “the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk” and that “some hatred cannot be negotiated with.”