Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University has left witnesses shaken and raised tough questions about whether enough was done to protect him.
The 31-year-old was shot while addressing a crowd of thousands on Wednesday. Despite the presence of police and a private security detail, attendees say security was far looser than expected for a political face like him.
Justin Hickens, who stood just 20 yards from Kirk when the gunman opened fire, told NBC News, “I saw a bunch of blood come out of Charlie. I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground.” He recalled people knocked over barricades to escape.
Videos circulating on social media show the chaos as students screamed and scrambled for safety. “No one checked the barcode or the QR code. There was no checkpoint to get in. It was literally, anyone could walk in if they wanted,” another attendee, Tyler McGettigan, told NBC News.
{{/usCountry}}Videos circulating on social media show the chaos as students screamed and scrambled for safety. “No one checked the barcode or the QR code. There was no checkpoint to get in. It was literally, anyone could walk in if they wanted,” another attendee, Tyler McGettigan, told NBC News.
{{/usCountry}}Both he and others confirmed there were no metal detectors.
Utah Police try best to defend their officer's stance
“We train for these things, and you think you have things covered, and these things, unfortunately, they happen,” he said. Long noted six officers were on duty along with some plainclothes officers in the crowd. He also said his team coordinated with Kirk’s security team but admitted, “unfortunately, today we didn’t [have it covered]. Because of that, we had this tragic incident,” UVU Police Chief Jeff Long tried to defend their stance.
Other witnesses echoed similar concerns. “No checkpoints, nothing, to get in here,” said Isaac, another attendee, who described the scene as “surreal.”
Afton Miller, a Turning Point USA member, told NBC News that she and her friend “just walked in” without checks. She was only feet away when Kirk was shot, “We saw his neck get hit, and he immediately jolted his neck back and he fell. Oh, my goodness, it was crazy to see that.”
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Law enforcement evacuated the crowd as fear of more gunfire spread, Miller noted.