CHICAGO (WLS) — Local residents are reflecting, after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot Wednesday on a Utah college campus.

At a young age, Kirk impressed others with his tireless work ethic and ability to connect.

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Marko Sukovic of Lincolnshire worked with Kirk when his now-powerhouse political organization, Turning Point USA, was in its infancy, operating out of a garage below a one-room office in Lemont.

Around 2013, along with other energetic teens who’d volunteered for the campaign of suburban Congressman Bob Dold, Kirk sought to engage young people.

“A generation that kind of had really no one on the conservative side or on the center right communicating to them in any kind of effective way,” Sukovic said.

Kirk graduated from Wheeling High School.

District 214 said Wednesday, “Charlie will always remain part of our community. We are deeply saddened by his passing.”

Cook County Republican Party Chair Aaron Del Mar said he first met Kirk when the young conservative was in high school.

“I just thought, ‘hey, this is kind of a cool kid, a kind of go-getter.’ It’s really shocking because I know Charlie not from Facebook reels or Instagram reels, but I know Charlie the person. I know his family. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, and he’s always just been a really good, good guy,” Del Mar said.

Though Kirk’s views often angered many on the left, his death has drawn universal outrage.

Former President Barack Obama wrote, “This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.”

“Political violence unfortunately has been ratcheting up in this country,” Gov. JB Pritzker said. “It’s got to stop, and I think there are people who are fomenting it.”

“I am praying for Charlie Kirk and his family. Violence, in all its forms, should be condemned and has no place in our society,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

Northwestern University Professor Erik Nisbet has authored papers on political discourse and divides, and fears political violence has been normalized.

“I think it’s polarization and dehumanization. Our political rhetoric is not only about our political differences nowadays, but it’s about dehumanizing the other, where they’re less than human,” Nisbet said.