Group of students 'stood up and cheered' after Charlie Kirk was shot: eyewitness
U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk throws hats to the crowd shortly before he was shot at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025. Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via REUTERS
An eyewitness at Utah Valley University described a chaotic scene during a campus event when conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot, saying that a group of students celebrated the shooting.
The witness recounted hearing a gunshot and then seeing Kirk collapse, prompting panic among the audience.
"I did see a select group of students who stood up and cheered after that fact," the witness told ABC4.
READ MORE: MAGA activist Charlie Kirk shot during speech on Utah campus
This reaction added to the unsettling atmosphere as attendees scrambled for safety, per the eyewitness.
Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at the university when he was struck in the neck by a single bullet. The shot reportedly came from a nearby building, approximately 200 yards away.
Video footage captured the moment, showing Kirk clutching his neck and collapsing in his chair. He was later confirmed dead, and authorities are treating the incident as a targeted act of political violence.
Another witness, speaking to ABC4.com, described the harrowing scene through tears.
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"You just see his neck like open up, and there's just so much blood that came out. It was horrible, and all I felt was everybody bringing me down to the ground," she said. "All I hear is screaming, and I see people running, and I'm like 'It's not safe to run, it's not safe to get up, it's not...'" She added, "And all I'm saying is 'Please God, please God,' 'cause I don't want to die, I don't want anybody else to die, and I think I just saw a guy die."
The university campus was evacuated, and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are investigating the incident. A person of interest was briefly detained but later released after being ruled out as the shooter. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
