The sudden and violent death of the American activist Charlie Kirk, who rallied a youth movement and held celebrity status among his fans, has sparked fierce debate over his political legacy.
The 31-year-old's young supporters appreciated his conservative Christian values and frank opinions. Speaking to the BBC, many were in tears as they remembered a man who listened to them and understood their concerns.
His views were polarising on the college campuses where he held large events, and his provocative speeches would draw crowds of vocal opponents as well as fans.
Kirk was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and promoted false claims about Covid-19. He wasn't shy when it came to expressing his views - and his detractors also didn't hold back.
Now, both supporters and opponents have been left shaken after he was killed by a single shot on stage while debating at a university in Utah.
I am sad, distraught, said the left-wing influencer Dean Withers, 21, who is known for posting about political issues and debating conservatives, including Kirk.
In an emotional video posted to his millions of followers, Withers said gun violence is always disgusting, always vile and always abhorrent.
Many of the tributes referencing gun violence openly pushed back on disturbing comments online that implied Kirk deserved to be shot because of his position on gun rights, which included the view that more people should own weapons and some shooting deaths were inevitable.
Those comments also reflect a broader conversation in the wake of his death. As people paid tribute to Kirk and shared condolences to his wife and children, many also stressed that regardless of the person's viewpoints, political violence is never justifiable.
Withers, for example, said he never agreed with Kirk's ideas, but stressed this should never have happened.
It should come as no shock that I think Charlie Kirk was a bad person - I've made that very clear over the last year, he said. But does that mean I think he deserves to lose his life? No.
Encouraging and taking part in fierce, open debates was central to Kirk's professional success and his personal worldview. When people stop talking, that's when you get violence, Kirk says in a video that has been widely shared since his death.
Adam Saar, a student in Cleveland, Ohio, told the BBC there was profound shock on his campus from all sides. Most people I've spoken to don't agree with him politically but we are very disturbed by what happened, he said.
Beyond the immediate shock and tributes, some have also been debating Kirk's legacy as one of America's foremost political activists. Many are wrestling with the impact of a man who attracted fervent crowds, bringing young people into politics and conservative Christian thinking, while at the same time shocking many with his provocative opinions.
Kirk's stance on gay and transgender rights was particularly polarising. He opposed same-sex marriage and argued against gender care for transgender people, often citing his Christian faith on these issues.
Whether they agreed with Kirk or not, the young people the BBC spoke to all said his killing marked a potentially dangerous turning point in freedom of speech and expression. Political violence like this affects all of us, it doesn't just affect the people that you disagree with, said Tilly Middlehurst, a University of Cambridge student.
