'Charlie Was Shot In The Neck, I Saw His Head Slump Over': Eyewitness Recalls Moment of Horror

WASHINGTON: Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on Thursday at Utah Valley University in what officials described as a rooftop political assassination.

Witnesses described chaos and panic as the gunfire erupted during Kirk’s presentation before a crowd of several thousand.

Ryan DeVries, an eyewitness, said, "I was told that Charlie Kirk was going to be on the campus this Wednesday. And I was ready to debate Charlie in good faith. I align a lot with what Charlie has to say. However, I have a few topics that I disagree on and I was really looking forward to having a conversation with him. I thought it would be a very cordial conversation. Charlie talks about gang violence, and right as he finished that, he was shot in the neck. I was about 50 feet away. Again, I was more focused on wedging my way through the crowd to speak to Charlie than actually what was going on. And I did, for a brief second, see Charlie's head, like, slump over, and then the crowd just pushed back. It was a stampede."

"It was a mix of both people running, people ducking, people jumping into the fountain and running for their lives. But at that point I understood that this was a targeted political assassination and that's why I decided to stick around and pull out my phone because there were no other shots after that first one. This situation people definitely feared for their lives. I could see it in their eyes, I could hear it in their voices. People were crying, people were screaming. It was a nightmare," he said.

Raydon Duchene, another eyewitness, said, "I turned to look back and it sounded like the shot came from behind me and down into there. An then I just saw everybody starting to drop, so I dropped. I wasn't too worried because I didn't hear any more gunshots, but you never know. And then I just heard the crowd start yelling 'run', and so we just all got up and left. So I didn't get to see, I didn't see them get the apprehend, what they think is alleged shooter. I didn't, when I looked back up, looked back up to the stage, when I got up, Charlie was already gone. So that's basically what I saw."

ALSO READ: Spine-Chilling Moment: Charlie Kirk Shot by Rooftop Sniper in Dark Clothing; Manhunt On to Nab the Sniper

"There wasn't security checkpoints. When I saw that they were coming, I went onto the site, got my ticket. And so I had it on my phone ready to show. And when I showed up, there was nobody looking at tickets. So there was not any type of security. They weren't checking bags. They weren't putting you through metal detectors. There were some police officers, I don't know how many... There just wasn't any security really. And that kind of had me nervous when I was there. I was thinking what's gonna prevent anybody that wants to try to do something from happening and the next thing you know, it happens," she said.

Calling it unbelievable, DeVries said, "Doesn't feel like this is real given the magnitude that Charlie brings, given how he has shaped American politics. It's seeing him and then seeing him being shot. It doesn't feel real. This feels like a Butler, Pennsylvania type of incident... I've watched his podcast, I listened to him, I followed him, followed his Turning Point USA events and to be going up to ask him a question at my first Turning Point USA event and witness a political assassination. It's a lot heavier, I would say, because it's premeditated."

A notable conservative activist, Charlie was shot dead by a rooftop sniper while speaking to a large outdoor crowd at Utah Valley University. Kirk was answering questions from students when a gunshot went off.  

A viral video circulating on the social media reveals the chilling details of the fateful moment. Videos show Kirk shuddering and taking his hand to his neck as he falls off his chair. Shocked, people in the audience screamed and ran to safety.

ALSO READ: Who Was Charlie Kirk? Net Worth, Controversies, Personal Life Of Donald Trump's Ally Shot Dead At 31

His death was announced by President Donald Trump in a social media post. "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you," Trump wrote on X.

Former US President Barack Obama also extended his condolences to Kirk's family through a social media post.

Charlie Kirk was shot by a sniper in dark clothing who fired from a rooftop some distance away. Conflicting reports emerge regarding the arrest of a suspect, with initial claims from the FBI director that a person, suspected to be the shooter, was in custody. The FBI initially announced that the suspect was in custody. However, the authorities clarified that the “person of interest” was released after interrogation and the shooter is still at large. (With AP inputs)