Orem • Nearly every student who walked by on their way to class early Wednesday at Utah Valley University stopped for a minute at the spot where everything changed.

A week ago, political commentator Charlie Kirk had been speaking in this courtyard when a single shot rang out, striking and killing him. Now, the place where he spoke is surrounded by a thick metal fence as officers patrol nearby.

The loudest sound was whispers, quietly shared beneath a new, 25-foot tall American flag that hangs over the solemn space.

“I think a lot of people are scared to return,” said Raymond Lopez, a 26-year-old pre-health student at UVU.

A week after the shooting, Wednesday marked the first day back for students at the Orem school, returning to a campus they say feels markedly different.

“It wa

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