Charlie Kirk's Final Moments Revealed by Author and Longtime Mentor: 'He Was Killed Instantly and Felt No Pain'

Author Frank Turek, a longtime mentor and close friend of Charlie Kirk, opened up about the activist’s tragic final moments after he was shot during a debate at Utah Valley University on September 10.

"Charlie was literally like a son to me. I have three sons. He was like my fourth son," Turek began during what he called the “most difficult” episode of his “CrossExamined” podcast.

That morning, Turek said he had joined Kirk’s team for the ride to the event, going over potential student questions and fine-tuning responses. By the time the debate started, Turek was standing about 30 feet away from Kirk, even FaceTiming family members to share a glimpse of what was going on.

But in an instant, everything changed.

During a question on transgender violence, a single shot rang out. Turek recalled watching Kirk fall backward, struck in the neck by a bullet allegedly fired by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from a rooftop more than 100 yards away.

"I’m still on the phone, and my daughter-in-law told me these were the first words out of my mouth, ‘No, no, no, no, no,’" Turek said. "If your son got hit, what would you do? … I got in the car because if there was any way I could save him, I had to do something."

He described the chaos that followed as they rushed to the hospital.

“We heard this pop. It sounded like it was close. I'm on one side of the car... and they're getting Charlie in," he explained.

He added, "Charlie's so tall, we can't close the door. We drove four miles… all the way to the hospital with the door open."

Turek tried CPR, but he knew almost immediately how severe the injury was.

"Now, Charlie wasn’t there. His eyes were fixed. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me right into eternity ... He was killed instantly and felt absolutely no pain," he said.

Still, for a brief moment, they thought the 31-year-old father-of-two might pull through.

"We had a small sliver of hope," Turek admitted. "And the doctor later said that we got a pulse because Charlie was a very healthy man, but the shot was catastrophic."

Sadly, within 30 minutes, surgeons confirmed Kirk had died.

Turek paused before sharing what Kirk’s wife, Erika, wanted everyone to know.

"If that's any comfort at all, Charlie didn't suffer," he said. "The pain is proportional to the value of the loss [and] to the greatness of the man."

Turek then recalled the moment when Erika arrived at the hospital.

"She said, ‘He loved you, and he was doing what he wanted to do,’" he recounted. "Then we just held one another, and she expressed that she wanted to keep Charlie's legacy going. … That woman is not going to be denied. If this assassin thought that he was going to end Charlie's legacy, he just poured gasoline on it, and Erika is going to lead the charge."

Kirk first connected with Turek years ago to seek mentorship in Christian apologetics.