Charlie Kirk Shooting Comment Leads To VA School Board Member's Resignation

CHESTERFIELD COURT HOUSE, VA — A Virginia school board member who posted on social media about shooting Nazis after the death of conservative speaker and activist Charlie Kirk has resigned her seat.

Chesterfield County Public Schools announced Sunday the resignation of school board member Dorothy Heffron after a post she made in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder. Heffron's resignation is effective Dec. 31

Heffron’s resignation came in the wake of her social media post, which said, “Call me old-fashioned, but I remember when we used to be okay with shooting Nazis.”

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University. He was the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization, Turning Point USA, an American nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.

A suspect in Kirk's death was arrested and in custody Friday, according to state and federal law enforcement officials. Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, has been identified as the suspect arrested and accused of killing Kirk.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor, took a screenshot of Heffron's post about Kirk and shared it on her own Facebook page Friday morning, with a callout to her opponent in the governor's race, Democrat Abigail Spanberger.

"Abigail, do you condemn this?" Earle-Sears wrote.

On Friday afternoon Spanberger posted on Facebook: "I think it’s important to state unequivocally: I condemn any efforts to justify or minimize the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk or anyone else. Disagreements over policy, perspectives, or even worldviews should never lead to violence. We are a nation of laws — and we have a First Amendment right to free speech, and that right is not limited just to those who agree with us."

All of Heffron's fellow school board members called for her to step down.

The school board said that Heffron and her family, along with others in the school district who made comments on social media, received threats.

"Let us be clear: Threats of violence and death have no place in civil discourse. We can passionately disagree without resorting to acts that do not model the behavior we want for our community," the school board statement said.

"We recognize the politically charged time that our country is experiencing. We must remember that our words carry weight, and they should be used to build trust, foster understanding, and model the respect we want our students to show one another," the board said. "We must be better than the hatred we have witnessed over the last few days."

The other members of the school board called for Heffon's resignation last week, saying in part: "This post is deeply concerning and does not reflect the values, standards, or expectations of the Chesterfield County School Board.As elected officials, we are bound by our governance policies and a responsibility to model respect and professionalism for the students, staff, and families we serve. This post is in direct violation of those standards."

In Heffron's resignation letter, she said she regrets the pain her post has caused, WRIC reported.

“It was never my intention to make light of violence or to suggest that harm to anyone is ever acceptable. As an elected official and as someone entrusted with the responsibility of supporting students, families, and educators, I should have shown better judgment,” Heffron said