The footage is haunting, even if you’ve only seen the grainiest clips on X. It happened in an instant. One second, Charlie Kirk was answering a question about gang violence at Utah Valley University, and the next, he was gone. Honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes you want to look away, but the internet being what it is, the video of the assassination of Charlie Kirk was everywhere within minutes of the 12:23 p.m. shot on September 10, 2025.
You've probably seen the debates by now. People are still arguing about the "glitches" in the video or why the security didn't see the guy on the roof. It’s a mess. But if we’re going to talk about what happened, we have to look at the actual facts of that day in Orem, Utah, rather than the wild theories floating around TikTok.
The Utah Valley University Footage Explained
The most widely circulated video of the assassination of Charlie Kirk came from the official Turning Point USA (TPUSA) livestream. It was a bright, clear day. Kirk was at a "Prove Me Wrong" style table, throwing hats into the crowd. He looked relaxed.
✨ Don't miss: Was Amy Mihaljevic Killer Ever Found: What Really Happened
The shooter, now identified as 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson, was positioned on the roof of the Losee Center. That’s roughly 142 yards away. If you watch the footage closely—and many digital forensics experts like Jake Green have—you see Kirk flinch as a single bullet strikes him in the neck. Emma Pitts, a reporter for the Deseret News who was standing just feet away, described it as a sudden, horrific amount of blood. Kirk went limp immediately.
Why didn't anyone stop it? That’s the big question.
Actually, the security was pretty thin for someone as high-profile as Kirk. There were six police officers and some private security, but the roof of the Losee Center was a massive blind spot. Surveillance video later showed Robinson literally crawling across the roof into position at 12:15 p.m., just minutes before the shot. He just... got up there. No one was watching that specific line of sight.
Debunking the Hoax Theories
Whenever something this big happens, the "crisis actor" crowd comes out of the woodwork. It's predictable, really. Some people pointed to a black mark on Kirk's shirt, claiming it was a "squib" (the little explosive packs used in movies to fake gunshots).
That’s basically nonsense.
If you look at literally any other video of Kirk from the last three years, he’s wearing a magnetic microphone clip in that exact spot. It’s not a blood pack; it’s a piece of tech he used every single day.
Then there’s the "disappearing ring" theory. A viral post on X with over 20 million views claimed Kirk’s ring switched fingers or disappeared right before the shot, suggesting the whole thing was an AI-generated deepfake. But high-res stills from Reuters show the ring actually unclasped and was falling as he hit the ground. It didn't "glitch" out of existence; it succumbed to gravity.
✨ Don't miss: ¿Dónde está El Mencho? Rumores, pistas y la realidad sobre el líder del CJNG
The Aftermath and the Trials of 2026
We are now in 2026, and the legal fallout is still a total circus. Tyler Robinson is facing the death penalty, and his lawyers are doing everything they can to keep the trial under wraps. Just this week, a judge in Utah, Tony Graf, had to release transcripts from a closed hearing because the public interest is so high.
Robinson’s defense is trying to ban cameras from the courtroom. They’re worried that the widespread "assassination video" has already biased every potential juror in the country. They might be right. It’s hard to find anyone who hasn't seen at least a snippet of the chaos.
Meanwhile, the political fallout hasn't slowed down.
- Mass Firings: People like MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd and several Texas teachers were fired or investigated for "celebrating" the event online.
- Memorials: Nearly 100,000 people showed up to his memorial at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
- Posthumous Awards: Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom shortly after.
It’s also gotten weirdly personal. Candace Owens recently went on a tear claiming Kirk told her he was being followed by "shadowy forces" since he was a kid. She even floated some wild theory about time travel. Honestly, most people are just rolling their eyes at that point, but it shows how much the vacuum of a tragedy gets filled with noise.
What to Do if You Encounter the Video
If you're looking for the video of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, you should know that most major platforms like YouTube and Meta are actively scrubbing the most graphic versions. They've labeled it under their "violent and graphic content" policies, which makes sense.
If you're following the case, stay away from the "enhanced" AI versions of the footage. CBS News found that AI bots like Grok and Perplexity were hallucinating details about the shooter and the timeline in the early hours of the event. They even misidentified a random student, Hunter Kozak, as the suspect for a while.
Steps for navigating the news:
- Stick to verified court transcripts: If you want to know about the motive or the shooter, the Utah court system is the only reliable source right now.
- Verify the source of "leaked" clips: Many "unseen angles" being shared on Telegram are actually from a different shooting in Reno, Nevada, from 2024.
- Check the 2026 trial schedule: The preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson is set for May 18, 2026. That is when the most accurate, non-speculative evidence will finally be presented to the public.
The reality is that a single, poorly secured rooftop changed the course of conservative media. Whether you liked the guy or not, the footage remains a dark milestone in the history of political violence in America. Be careful what you click on; a lot of the "truth" being sold in the comments sections is just people trying to farm engagement from a tragedy.