Someone showed up outside Erika Kirk’s conference in a costume mimicking her late husband, and then dropped to the ground

A protestor wearing a papier-mâché head resembling Charlie Kirk appeared outside the Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Summit in San Antonio, Texas, on Friday, June 5. Footage shared to X shows the unidentified man dropping to the ground in what appeared to be a reenactment of the political activist’s fatal shooting. The man was wearing a shirt with the word “Freedom” on it, similar to the attire Kirk was reportedly wearing when he was shot dead at Utah Valley University in September 2025.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was charged with Kirk’s murder after turning himself in to authorities. The summit, held at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, was organized to bring together women of all ages and featured Erika Kirk, who took on the role of TPUSA CEO following her husband’s death.

As reported by LADbible, Erika Kirk was preparing to address the crowd inside when the incident unfolded outside. The event faced disruption indoors as well, when a heckler interrupted her speech to shout an accusation at her from the floor. Kirk maintained her composure, telling the heckler that happiness comes and goes and that she would pray for them.

The summit had already been under a security cloud before it began

TPUSA contributor Jack Posobiec addressed the protestor’s actions on Fox News. “When people tell you who they are, believe them,” Posobiec said, adding that the behavior reflected resentment toward the direction TPUSA offers young people. It was not the first time a TPUSA event faced direct disruption, as a heckler who confronted JD Vance at a separate TPUSA appearance also forced him to pause his speech.

TPUSA spokesperson Matt Shupe said in a statement that “It’s a free country” and that protestors shouting outside an event attended by 3,000 women were welcome to continue. Event security officials had reportedly increased the number of uniformed officers assigned to the summit in the days prior.

Security concerns intensified in the lead-up to the event. According to an arrest warrant detailed by CBS Austin, a 26-year-old San Antonio man named Jacob Wenske was charged with two felony counts of making a terroristic threat after allegedly commenting on a Facebook post promoting the summit that he knew “exactly where to bomb” the venue.

Investigators also attributed to Wenske a January 2026 email in which he allegedly threatened that Kirk and every speaker would die in bombings tied to TPUSA events. Wenske was booked into jail with bond set at $120,000. Erika Kirk, who had drawn attention in December when she endorsed JD Vance for president at a TPUSA conference in Arizona, has not publicly commented on Wenske’s arrest.