Charlie Kirk memorial updates: 'I forgive him,' Erika Kirk says of alleged shooter

Erika Kirk urged her husband to take more safety precautions the night before he left for the Utah where he was killed last week, according to an interview published in the New York Times ahead of his memorial service.

In the interview conducted earlier this week, Erika Kirk and a friend suggested taking measures like wearing a bulletproof vest or speaking behind bulletproof glass, which Charlie Kirk rebuffed, according to the Times.

The interview also includes more new details, including where Erika Kirk was when she was informed of the shooting, her decision to view her ’husband’s body over the recommendation of the sheriff, and some insight into her call with President Donald Trump.

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

The program for Kirk's memorial service is now underway, beginning with rendition of "Amazing Grace" played on the bagpipes. Christian music singer Chris Tomlin then took the stage to perform.

Several Trump Cabinet members have arrived for the service, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Ahead of the start of Charlie Kirk's memorial service, attendees at State Farm Stadium were seen holding up red, white and blue signs honoring the conservative activist.

Some of the signs read "This is our turning point" and "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Attendees have been asked to wear red, white or blue to the service.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat whose residence was set on fire earlier this year while he and his family were asleep inside, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the nation is at an "inflection point."

"I hope we go the direction of healing, of bringing people together, of trying to find our commonalities, not just focus on our differences," Shapiro said on the morning of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's memorial service.

The governor said that after the arson attack on his residence in April, he saw his people of all backgrounds in his state come together.

"I want to see that in America now in the wake of the killing of Charlie Kirk, on the heels of the killing of Speaker Hortman and her husband, and just too much political violence," Shapiro said, referring to the June murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home. "We've got to find our better angels. We've got to universally condemn political violence no matter where it is. Whether it's against Charlie Kirk or someone else, it is not okay. We all have to work together to condemn it."

When asked about Kirk's legacy, Shapiro said the 31-year-old activist was someone "devoted to speech and debate."

"I appreciate the fact that he showed up in town squares and college campuses and sought to debate others, whether I agree with it or not. The answer to debate and speech that you don't like is not violence or taking someone's life. It's more speech. It's more debate. It's more engagement. And that's what we need more of in our communities," the governor said.