PHOTOSCharlie Kirk's Last Question Before Fatal Shooting Explained: What Did He Say?
Charlie Kirk's audience at a September 10 event at Utah Valley University heard a loud 'pop' shortly after he answered what would become his final question.
Sept. 20 2025, Published 1:09 p.m. ET
Charlie Kirk Was Asked a Question Just Moments Before He Was Assassinated
Charlie Kirk answered a question about gun violence shortly before he was fatally shot on September 10.
The final question Charlie Kirk answered has drawn renewed discussion after his death.
The right-wing political activist was hosting his The American Comeback Tour's Prove Me Wrong Table at Utah Valley University on September 10 when he was shot and killed.
About 20 minutes in, a young audience member asked Kirk, "Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?"
"Too many," he responded, prompting applause and cheers from the crowd.
He was then quizzed, "Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?"
"Counting or not counting gang violence?" Kirk answered before a gunshot echoed through the venue.
Before his death, the Turning Point USA co-founder frequently spoke out about mass shootings across the country, including the incident at Christian Covenant School in Tennessee.
"Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty…" he said during a panel discussion. "So we need to be very clear that you're not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen. You could significantly reduce them through having more fathers in the home, by having more armed guards in front of schools."
He continued, "You will never live in a society where you have an armed citizenry, and you won't have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It's drivel. But I am – I think it's worth it. I think it's worth having a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a completely alternate universe."
Kirk also supported the idea of hiring armed guards at schools to protect the children amid the increasing crime rates.
What Happened Right After Charlie Kirk Was Shot
Charlie Kirk was at an event at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed.
In viral graphic videos, Kirk was seen falling back to his left side while blood poured from his neck.
President Donald Trump later confirmed Kirk's death in a post on Truth Social, which read, "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!"
"This is a political assassination," Utah Governor Spencer Cox said following the shooting incident.
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The Person Who Asked Charlie Kirk the Final Question Described the Moment as 'Visceral'
Charlie Kirk was in the middle of his The American Comeback Tour when he was assassinated.
In an interview with ABC News, Hunter Kozak — the Utah Valley University undergraduate student who asked Kirk a question before he was fatally shot — said he was not worried for his life at the event.
"It was just so visceral what I saw in front of me," he added.
More Witnesses Spoke Out About Charlie Kirk's Shooting Incident
Charlie Kirk will be laid to rest in Phoenix, Ariz.
Several witnesses at the event gave first-hand accounts shortly after the assassination.
Speaking in a phone interview with Fox News, former Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz recalled Kirk answering a question about religion for "about 15 to 20 minutes" before he was asked the second — and final — question about "transgender mass shooters."
"I happened to be watching Charlie. I can't say I saw blood. I can't say I saw him get shot, but as soon as that shot went out, he fell back and to his left and everybody hit the deck," he detailed. "A lot of people started screaming. And then everybody started running as you might expect. There was some police presence, but there was no security check going in. It didn't happen. Charlie has some security in front of him. But you got this sense that the shot came straight at him."
Meanwhile, Deseret News reporter Emma Pitts told CNN she saw Kirk go limp, with his neck "kind of turned," before they saw blood immediately. Attendee Raydon Dechene shared a similar comment, noting she realized the loud pop was a gunshot after seeing Kirk's neck.
"At that point, I kind of turned my head to look uphill because it felt like it came from up behind me," she added. "And then I saw everybody dropping so I dropped down. Then I heard someone say 'run,' so I took off running."
Others thought the shooting was part of an act but immediately realized otherwise.
Prosecutors have charged the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, with capital murder following his arrest and announced they would seek the death penalty.
