The nation was shocked by the September 10 assassination of conservative leader and free speech icon Charlie Kirk, who at the time of his untimely death had some 3.8 million followers on YouTube, 7 million on Instagram, and 7.3 million on TikTok. Yet many were then further appalled by some people going online to condone or even celebrate the murder.
The Roanoke region, although widely known as a friendly area, was not spared those who broke the ancient dictum, “do not speak ill of the dead.”
One such individual, who reportedly is an animal control officer with the Roanoke City Police Department, goes by McKenna Widener on Facebook. Shortly after Kirk’s murder, she posted messages including the above image and “Some men improve the world only by leaving it.” The Roanoke Star reached out to the City Police Department, Police Chief Scott Booth, all members of the City Council, and Mayor Joe Cobb for their statements about this situation.
Specifically, The Roanoke Star asked if this officer carried a weapon as a part of her daily duties and how a City employee — especially a first responder tasked with protecting the public — openly celebrate political violence?
On September 17, Hannah Glasgow, a Crime Prevention Specialist with the Roanoke Police Department, emailed this terse response:
“M. Beaman is an animal warden for the Roanoke Police Department. She was hired on April 4, 2022.
“The Professional Standards Unit is reviewing a complaint regarding an employee’s alleged social media activity, as is policy for all complaints.
“Please note, all media inquiries should be sent to [email protected] for a timely response.”
Reportedly, the Widener/Beaman name discrepancy stems from a recent marriage, but it is the same person.
On October 16, almost three weeks after Glasgow’s claim that the complaint was being reviewed, The Roanoke Star mailed Chief Booth and the RPD.media asking for the results from the review of Officer Beaman.
As of publication time, no response has been received. Moreover, nothing was ever received from any City councilmember or Mayor Cobb, either.
Cobb’s silence about a City employee reveling in bloodshed is particularly inexplicable in that Cobb was a lead signatory of a petition in October 2023 entitled “Hate Has No Home In Roanoke, Virginia.”
Another local resident who posted celebratory messages after the killing is Domique Gallo, whose profile says she is a lactation nurse with LewisGale Medical Center. Journalist Cam Higby posted screenshots from Gallo to his own Twitter/X account. Gallo had posted, “I don’t pray for evil to rest peacefully” and “I’ll be playing ‘No One Mourns the Wicked’ all day every day in Celebration.”
The Roanoke Star reached out to Gallo via an email on what appears to be her personal business page, asking for a statement, but no response was received.
From a lactation nurse, one would expect empathy for young mothers. The murder of Kirk, who would have been thirty-two on October 14, left his young wife, Erika, a widow to raise their two children, ages one and three, fatherless.
A request for a statement regarding Gallo was also sent to LewisGale. A response was received from Teresa Hall, whose title is “Director, Communications & Community Engagement, LewisGale Regional Health System.”
Hall’s email indicates she is in Nashville, where HCA Healthcare Systems is based. LewisGale is a part of the larger HCA corporation.
On Sept. 18, Hall responded by email:
“Our statement is below…
“We are aware of the comments circulating on social media. Our hospital reviews and appropriately addresses any social media posts by colleagues that do not adhere to our policies and guidelines.”
A few days later, The Roanoke Star followed up with Hall by asking: “Please help our reading public understand: How can a healthcare worker, who should pledge to follow the Socratic Oath and seek to preserve life and do no harm, post publicly a celebration of a murder? Does a condoning or celebration of public political violence ‘adhere to your policies and guidelines’?”
To which Hall curtly emailed on September 26: “We have nothing further to add.”
It is unclear why Hall, whose title is “Director, Communications & Community Engagement,” offers such scant communication.
As of publication, no further news has been received from either the Roanoke City Police Department or LewisGale.
Reportedly, an employee at the health department on Williamson Road also went online to celebrate Kirk’s murder.
On September 29, Christie Wills, Communications Officer for the Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts, responded to a request for information with this email:
“The Virginia Department of Health confirms that Omar Ismaiel was employed from November 2024 until September 22, 2025. We are unable to provide any additional information in response to your inquiry.”
When some mourners in our region were planning a peaceful candlelight vigil in Kirk’s honor, Virginia Tech Associate Professor of History Nicholas Copeland joined the chat. He wrote: “I consider it my civic duty to let everyone know that a vigil for Kirk is the ideological equivalent of a Klan rally.”
The Roanoke Star also reached out to the Virginia Tech media relations office for a statement, but none has been receivedas of publication time.
Like peeling the layers of an onion, the exposure of one set of facts reveals a deeper set. However, all point to an acceptance and even celebration of violence among some people that probably most Virginians were unaware even existed.
On October 3, news broke that Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones had in 2022 texted fantasies of killing then-Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) and his two young sons. Jones, when pressed, agreed that he would take pleasure from seeing the two young boys dying in their mothers’ arms from gun violence if that would change the parents’ views on gun control.
Jones texted: “Yes, I’ve told you this before, only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”
This has all been with a backdrop of Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger often telling audiences around the state during her stump speeches, “let your rage fuel you.”
Moreover, other Democrat leaders have either been silent on Jones’ violent fantasies or, if they did condemn the remarks, refused to call on him to exit the race.
As reported here, The Roanoke Star asked Mayor Joe Cobb, Del. Salam “Sam” Rasoul, and delegate-candidate Lily Franklin if they had any statements about Jones and if they still supported his candidacy; none replied.
US Senator Mark Warner, who touts himself as a centrist, donated $25,000 to Jones’ campaign last August. Neither Warner nor Sen. Tim Kaine has called on Jones to leave the race. In early voting, as recently as October 28, the Roanoke City and County Democrat Committees still list Jay Jones on their sample ballots they distribute. Blue “Spanberger/Hashmi/Jones” signs dot some yards and roadways, indicating the party at large still supports Jones.
(In contrast to local Democrats, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office and State Police Association have called on Jones to exit the race.)
In recent weeks, two unstable individuals made violent threats against two Republican members of the House of Delegates, but thankfully, no acts of violence were committed.
Considering the above incidents, the two attempts on President Trump’s life, an assassination attempt on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, arson at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion, and other attacks, it seems the undercurrent of violence is sadly still present in American politics.
In this disturbing video, reportedly from the October 19 “No Kings Rally,” a young boy (wearing a COVID mask outdoors) is stabbing a figure of President Trump, after which an adult nearby gives the lad a high five. (Caution: contains profanity.)
In addition to threats against people, there has also been destruction of property, as seen in these before-and-after images from Culpeper, Virginia, in October.
Results from Virginia’s elections next week will indicate, among other things, if Old Dominion voters support or oppose these trends toward political violence.
– Scott Dreyer
