Charlie Kirk, a prominent US conservative commentator and content creator, was fatally shot during a university debate in Utah today, sparking shock and chaos among attendees as they scrambled for safety.
Multiple eyewitnesses at the event shared their experiences, recalling the uncertainty and fear as the shooting unfolded in real time.
What happened at the Charlie Kirk shooting?
The shooting occurred just minutes into a campus event at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was expected to debate students on topics like the Eighth Amendment and gun violence.
Andrew Piskadlo, who was waiting to participate in the ‘Prove Me Wrong’ forum, told the New York Times, “It was surprising, and no one really got down until the people in front of the stage did. People got down in waves.”
Piskadlo described dropping to the ground as the shot rang out but did not run, saying the security setup “seemed really preventable. I’m kind of angry at the organisers”.
Video footage and student accounts confirm that Kirk was asked a question about mass shootings by a student moments before the shooting.
Eva Terry a reporter from Deseret News explained the scenes before Kirk was shot.
“A student went up there and asked Charlie Kirk a question about how many transgender shooters there had been in US history or something along those lines,” Terry told the BBC.
“Charlie Kirk answered, the student gave him a rebuttal, and then Charlie Kirk goes to pick up the microphone to answer the second question and that’s when the shots went off.”
“It was just one shot,” Terry said.
Another Deseret News reporter Emma Pitts recalled the atmosphere to The Guardian. “Charlie showed up, [and] I feel like the crowd was generally super positive, very happy with him coming to Utah. We interviewed a lot of people beforehand, they were just so eager to be interviewed,” she said.
“He was on the second question and it was regarding mass shootings and the person he was debating had asked about if he knew how many mass shootings had involved a transgender shooter, to which Kirk responded.
“Then he asked how many mass shootings there had been in total in the last couple of years, I believe. And then before he could even answer, we heard a gunshot and we just saw Charlie Kirk’s neck turn to the side and it appeared that he had been shot in the neck. There was blood, immediately a lot of blood.
“After the shots were fired, everyone immediately took to the ground. Me and Eva just hugged each other as tight as we could as we were just trying to stay hidden. I don’t know how quickly it was, probably within a minute, everyone started running away … Since then the university has been completely evacuated.”
Law enforcement has confirmed a suspect is in custody. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, “The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with the FBI. We will provide updates when able.”
The investigation is ongoing.
Lead image: AP News
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