I was near Charlie Kirk when he was shot and killed; it was ‘chaos’ after the rifle ‘crack’

This week, a preliminary court hearing was held about the killing of Charlie Kirk, with the prosecution and defence sharing evidence related to the alleged killer, Tyler Robinson.

After years of debating college kids, preaching the MAGA lines, and fighting for a return to traditional values with Turning Point USA, political commentator Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. A bullet went through his neck mid-debate, with graphic video going viral on Twitter.

Though numerous people were misidentified as the shooter, the police eventually arrested Tyler James Robinson, 22, for the crime.

This week, a judge is hearing evidence for going to trial, with the prosecution using DNA evidence, digital footprints, witness testimony, and video content to prove there is probable cause for the case to move forward.

@meghannmcuniff

Chris Bagley is an officer with the Spanish Fork Police Department in Utah who was assigned to Utah Valley University for Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10, 2025. Bagley testified as the first witness in the preliminary hearing in the capital murder case against Tyler Robinson, which began today (Monday, July 6) before Judge Tony Graf Jr. in Utah’s 4th Judicial District. “I heard an individual talking to Charlie, and I happened to kind of glance over the edge of the railing, about that time I could see the right side of Charlie’s shoulder, so not his whole body …. so I can only see probably the right side of his body. He was answering a question — a kid asking him a question — and then I heard a shot fired,” Bagley said. Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, left the courtroom during the testimony. The cameraman adjusted the camera so she was not shown walking out. Bagley said “everybody started getting up and starting to run in more of a chaos kind of situation.” “It was jam packed in the amphitheater” and surrounding area with “several thousand people.” “You described Mr. Kirk’s reaction. Was that simultaneous to hearing the gunshot?” asked Chad Grunander, the chief deputy attorney in Utah County. “Yes, it was,” Bagley answered. “When he fell to the left?” Grunander asked. “Yes,” Bagley answered. “Did you see the reaction from the crowd?” Grunander asked. “Yes,” Bagley answered. “Did you see the reaction from the crowd?” Grunander asked. “Yes,” Bagley answered. “What was that?” Grunander asked. “Everybody kind of got up. … A lot of people were screaming, standing up and starting to run in all different directions away from the center of the tent,” Bagley answered. The hearing is not a trial. It’s for Judge Graf to decide if enough evidence exists to support the charges against Robinson. Robinson, 23, is charged with seven crimes: aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; discharge of a firearm, a first-degree felony; two counts of obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies; two counts of tampering with a witness, third-degree felonies; and a misdemeanor count of violence committed in the presence of a child. #law #court #crime

♬ original sound – Meghann Cuniff

The first witness at the Charlie Kirk hearing was a security officer

Last year, Utah Valley University Officer Christopher Bagley was watching Charlie Kirk debate uni students, with the “cracking” shot ringing out when the commentary was talking about mass shootings and gun violence. When the bullet hit him, he was insinutating that Black people were the cause of most gun violence in America.

“I heard an individual talking to Charlie,” he testified on Monday. “He was answering a question, a kid was asking a question, then I heard a shot fired.”

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The gunshot obviously turned the situation into “chaos”, with Christopher recalling how people fled, running in all directions. He sprang into action, choosing to help people escape after other officers claimed the suspect was in custody. That turned out to be false.

Though he did find an empty pistol holster, the security officer argued that the gunshot was a “cracking” and not a pop you’d usually associate with a handgun. He left it, and it was never entered into evidence, the defence argued.

At this point in the Charlie Kirk hearing, the officer recalled spotting the Losee Centre, which had a direct line of sight to where Charlie had been. There was a screwdriver on the roof, and it looked as though gravel had been moved.

“I saw a distinct impression in the gravel,” he recalled. “To me, it looks like a sniper pad.”

He allegedly noticed elbow and foot indentations alongside a spot where a gun could have rested. Surveillance footage later confirmed a man running away from the centre.

The hearing is set to run all week, at which point the judge will rule on whether to pursue a trial.

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Featured image credit: Utah Department of Public Safety/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock and Charles McClintock Wilson/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock