Student Who Asked Charlie Kirk’s Final Question Speaks Out

The last person to speak with Charlie Kirk before the conservative commentator was fatally shot at Utah Valley University is breaking his silence. Hunter Kozak, a student at the school, shared a raw and emotional plea on social media just 24 hours after the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder was killed during a September 10 campus Q&A.

In a video posted to Instagram, Kozak addressed the shocking events and showed photos of himself standing in the audience, asking Kirk a question moments before the fatal shooting. “I don’t know how to make this video, it’s been a rough 24 hours,” Kozak began, acknowledging the weight of being the last person to publicly interact with Kirk.

The student explained that he had attended the event because of a video he made weeks earlier, where he criticized Kirk’s comments on gun violence and trans people.

Kozak said his interest in attending Kirk’s Utah Valley University appearance stemmed from his disagreement with the podcaster’s rhetoric. In one video, Kozak responded to Kirk’s commentary about “the suspected Minneapolis school shooter” with “Probably the only way to do this is to have an unGodly amount of time to parse through all of the 6,000 mass shootings that have ever happened in the history of America.”

He added that after reviewing Kirk’s tour schedule, he realized the commentator was scheduled to appear at his own university, giving him an opportunity to confront him directly.

Kozak shared a transcript of the exchange recounting the chilling final moments before Kirk was shot.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kozak asked.

“Too many,” Kirk responded.

Kozak corrected him, saying only five transgender Americans have been involved in mass shootings in that time frame. He then asked Kirk if he knew how many total mass shooters America had seen in the past decade.

“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk replied. Seconds later, he was fatally shot.

Though Kozak made it clear that he did not share Kirk’s political beliefs, he strongly denounced the violence and the shooter responsible.

“First off, you sick f-cking psychos that think this is the answer, it’s not. I don’t know what else to say,” Kozak said.

He called Kirk’s manner of death “awful,” noting that while they clashed ideologically, the 31-year-old was a husband and father.

“Charlie had two kids and a wife, and not to make this about me, but I have two kids and a wife,” Kozak added. “It’s a tragedy and it’s hard to grapple with.”

Authorities have confirmed that the man accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk is in custody. Utah Governor Spencer Cox identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, explaining that Robinson first contacted a family friend who then alerted law enforcement. Relatives also told investigators that Robinson had spoken negatively about Kirk in the days leading up to the shooting.

When police searched his belongings, they found a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel. Casings discovered with the weapon carried chilling inscriptions, including one that read, “Hey fascist! Catch!”

At a news briefing, Cox said Robinson’s roommate later provided investigators with messages from Discord, a group chat app, that offered a disturbing look into Robinson’s preparations. According to Cox, the messages described retrieving a rifle from a drop point, leaving it hidden in a bush, and watching the area where the weapon was stashed. The exchanges also referenced engraving bullets, using a scope, and Robinson changing outfits before the attack.

Cox added that Robinson is believed to have acted alone. “We do not at this time have any information that would lead to any additional arrests,” he said. For now, investigators are combing through Robinson’s digital footprint as they work to understand what led to the shocking act of violence that claimed the life of the 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder, leaving behind a wife, two young children, and a conservative movement reeling from the tragedy.