On Thursday, Sept. 25, ChurchLeaders spoke with two people who were in attendance when Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at his The American Comeback Tour stop at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Kirk, 31, cofounded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) at the age of 18 and led the organization until he was fatally shot in front of an estimated 3,000 people.
At approximately 12:23 p.m MT, a single shot rang out from a nearby rooftop, hitting Kirk in the neck. Kirk’s team rushed him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead two hours after he was shot.
Videos of the graphic shooting immediately flooded social media. Footage showed attendees—men, women, college students, and children—scrambling to safety because of the fear it was a mass shooting.
Less than 36 hours following the shooting, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter, turned himself into the authorities.
On Tuesday (Sept. 16), Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray charged Robinson with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice for moving a firearm, obstruction of justice for disposing of clothing, witness tampering for telling his roommate to delete text messages, witness tampering for directing his roommate to stay quiet, and a violent offense committed in the presence of a child.
Prosecutors told the court that they will seek the death penalty for Robinson.
RELATED: Erika Kirk Delivers Powerful Speech Forgiving Charlie Kirk’s Assassin During Memorial
Avri Mortenson and Tim Burden shared with ChurchLeaders their harrowing experiences during the tragic event at Utah Valley University where Kirk was shot.
Mortenson was only 25 feet away from Kirk, and Burden was further back. Both attended the event alone, and they recount their personal experiences and the immediate chaos that ensued, highlighting the shock and trauma of witnessing such violence. They discuss the emotional aftermath, including feelings of disbelief, survivor’s guilt, and the struggle to process the event.
Avri and Tim tell ChurchLeaders about the emotional aftermath of watching Charlie Kirk’s assassination, including feelings of disbelief, survivor’s guilt, and the struggle to process the event.Click to PostWatch the interview here:
