WASHINGTON CITY, Utah—Alongside the majestic Pine Valley Mountains, Pine View Estates is a middle-class desert paradise. Residents say they feel blessed to live amid colorful panoramic vistas and loving neighbors, a stone’s throw from a Mormon chapel—the spiritual wellspring for many of them.
But that sense of serenity was shaken Sept. 12. Authorities revealed that 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson, who grew up in the neighborhood, was accused of committing a sensational crime.
He drove about 250 miles from his hometown to Utah Valley University (UVU), officials say, alleging he positioned himself on a rooftop and fired a shot that killed Charlie Kirk, 31, founder of a conservative youth movement.
Kirk was known internationally as an advocate for free speech and political debate with civility. His death touched off waves of memorial programs, prayer services, and candlelight vigils from New York to Australia.
“The eyes of the whole world are on this community now,” a young mother of four in Pine View Estates said, declining to give her name over privacy concerns as she walked home from a Sunday service at the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She and a second neighbor who spoke to The Epoch Times emphasized that faith and fellowship at the Sept. 14 service proved soothing.
“It felt like our hearts were a little extra raw,” the young mother said about her experience in church.
Otherwise, the service was “normal,” she said, noting that messages about ministering to youth seemed to stand out more in the wake of the shooting, even though those statements were not explicitly tied to the tragedy.
A 69-year-old fellow churchgoer, who also asked not to be named, told The Epoch Times she felt “an unspoken, really powerful feeling of love,” more than usual because the community is hurting. “It was more intentional hugging and loving and appreciating.”
Both women said they want people to know: Pine View Estates is a faith-centered neighborhood, filled with caring people who look out for one another.
