An eyewitness with a close connection to Charlie Kirk has spoken about whether the 31-year-old was still alive when he was brought to the hospital.
On September 10, during an event at Utah Valley University, Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was tragically shot on stage in front of a large audience of students.
The bullet lodged in his neck, which may have protected those around him from further harm.
At his friend’s funeral on September 21, held at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona, Christian radio presenter Frank Turek was among the speakers. He provided a detailed account of the tragic incident to the assembled crowd.
“I was standing 25 feet from my beloved friend,” he began.
“When that shot rang out I took a step toward him but his security team was on him immediately. And so Charlie, being like a son to me, I ran toward the security team and we ran to the SUV together.”
Turek, who Kirk had reached out to ‘about five years ago’ for guidance in faith, continued: “No father would stand back and say ‘No, you just take my son, take him, I’ll meet you at the hospital.’
“I want you to know that we did everything we could to save Charlie, but Charlie was already gone,” he confirmed.
“His face was looking at mine, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me right into eternity.”
He asserted that the right-wing activist ‘felt no pain’ as he passed away.
“He died instantly. But we had to try to bring him back,” added Turek, fighting tears. “We couldn’t save him. I want you to know Charlie right now is in heaven.”
Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, who is the mother of their two children, also spoke at the funeral service.
She shared her experience of seeing her husband’s body at the hospital, saying: “I saw the wound that ended his life. I felt everything he would expect to feel. I felt shock. I felt horror, and a level of heartache that I didn’t even know existed.
“But there was something else, too. Even in death, I could see the man that I love.”
She supported Turek’s statement that Kirk did not suffer during his last moments.
“I also saw on his lips the faintest smile. And that told me something important. It revealed to me a great mercy from God in this tragedy,” she told the crowd.
“When I saw that, it told me Charlie didn’t suffer. Even the doctor told me – it was something so instant that even if Charlie had been shot in the operating room itself, nothing could have been done.
“There was no pain, there was no fear, no agony.”