Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was killed while hosting a debate at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10. He was speaking before a crowd of around 3,000 people when he was shot in the neck. Chaos erupted as attendees ducked for cover and then fled in panic. Emma Pitts, a Deseret News reporter present at the debate, described the scene: “We all dropped to the ground… and then everyone around us got up and started running.” Authorities quickly arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Utah, who allegedly fired the fatal shot from a rooftop about 200 yards away.

Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, violent offense in the presence of a child, and multiple counts of obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray announced that prosecutors will pursue the death penalty. Videos of the incident circulated online, many uncensored, showing Kirk flinching, dropping the mic, and collapsing as blood poured from his wound. Neuropsychologist Derek Van Schaik later analyzed the footage to explain Kirk’s final movements.

Some speculated that Kirk’s arms moved upward because of “decorticate posturing,” a neurological response to severe brain damage. Van Schaik dismissed this, saying the reaction was instead an involuntary defensive reflex. He explained that massive blood loss to the brain typically causes rapid unconsciousness and collapse, not rigid posturing. In Kirk’s case, his movement resembled an instinctive flinch—similar to reacting suddenly when startled.

Using digital timers to review the footage, Van Schaik determined that Kirk remained conscious for no more than four-tenths of a second after the gunshot. This was too brief for his brain to register pain or fear. “In his final moments, there was no panic, no dread,” Van Schaik concluded. “It was neurologically impossible for him to realize what had happened—only an abrupt blackout.”