TULSA, Okla. — Pastor of Sheridan Church and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Jackson Lahmeyer said he and his family are still in a state of shock at the apparent assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus Sept. 10.
"It's hard to process because I knew Charlie. I was friends with Charlie," Lahmeyer told 2 News on Sept. 11. "And just the reality that a wife lost her husband. Two kids lost their father."
Lahmeyer, who has a politically controversial record himself, said he didn't just befriend Charlie Kirk. They attended events together and collaborated with the Trump campaign together.
"It was the ReAwaken America Tour where we first met," the pastor said. "So we kind of connected just because of our age and holding to the same values, doing the same thing. And Charlie was one of the guys before I was in any relationship with the Trump family. Charlie was the one who helped make that introduction."
WATCH: Tulsa conservative pastor remembers friend Charlie Kirk
Lahmeyer explained that an upcoming pastors summit was planned for Sheridan Church in which Kirk would have led.
"Charlie's known for the debates. Charlie's known for creating a movement," Lahmeyer said. "But the Charlie Kirk that I knew was a very funny guy. The thing he was most proud of was not Turning Point USA (or) winning elections. It was his wife and his kids."
Lahmeyer believes the polarizing debater's legacy in public will be of gaining political sway and spiritual trust in young people.
"The thing you've got to know about Charlie was he was nonviolent," Lahmeyer said when asked what people who disagreed with Kirk should remember. "I mean, this was a guy that went into hostile arenas, especially college campuses and would debate and discuss ideas, which is kind of like the foundation of the United States of America. And to have violence be used against him in the way that it was is so sad."
Lahmeyer said he'll take part in memorial services for Kirk whenever those plans are finalized.
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