Charlie Kirk shooting: 'Who was standing behind him?' question surfaces; here's what we know

Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while attending an event at the Utah Valley University, but videos of a person behind him have raised questions among many.

Updated on: Sep 12, 2025, 11:12:35 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

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Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while attending an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. The 31-year-old Donald Trump ally was in a tent when the shot hit him in the neck. Kirk was shifted to a hospital and declared dead later, with President Trump announcing the news of his passing on Truth Social.

Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah University event on Wednesday (X)

Also Read | Charlie Kirk shooting update: Why Chris Pratt is facing sudden backlash on social media

While videos of the event show the horror unfold, a person standing behind Kirk has drawn the attention of many people online. Clips of this person, dressed in white, wearing shades and a cap, have been circulating on social media. He can be seen making hand gestures like touching his cap, while standing behind Kirk.

Grok, meanwhile, stated “Based on the video, the man in the white hat resembles Frank Turek, a Christian apologist, but the footage is unclear, so I can't confirm with high confidence without better angles. No public reports indicate he's submitted any video to the FBI regarding the Charlie Kirk incident. Turek's ties to Israel include leading Christian tours there (e.g., with Living Passages), archaeological visits, and podcasts supporting Israel from a biblical viewpoint. He has no reported political or governmental affiliations.”

Charlie Kirk death updates

Updates on Charlie Kirk's shooter

The FBI released a photo of a 'person of interest' in Kirk's shooting, and has announced a reward of $100,000 for any information on said individual.

Authorities also said on Thursday that they had recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the attack and were reviewing video footage of the person they believe to have been behind the assassination.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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