In the moments before Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, he fielded a question about mass shooters from mathematics student Hunter Kozak.
“It’s a tragedy and it’s hard to grapple with, and I’m part of a community that’s struggling to grapple with it right now,” Kozak said of the shooting in a video on Instagram. “People have obviously pointed to the irony that… the point I was trying to make was how peaceful the left was right before he got shot. And that, that only makes sense if we stay peaceful.”
Kozak, a liberal TikToker with a growing social media following, said he decided to attend Kirk’s American Comeback Tour to press him on their opposing beliefs face-to-face.
He told the New York Times he considered asking about Jeffrey Epstein, and then Kirk’s own definition of gender, before settling on mass shooters and the transgender community.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kozak asked.
“Too many,” Kirk responded, earning a round of applause.
Kozak then informed him the total was five, before asking: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk replied.
Not seconds later, he was fatally shot in the neck by a gunman perched on the roof of the Losee Center, a building on campus several hundred feet away.
“I couldn’t have asked a worse question,” Kozak told the New York Times on Thursday.
Video shared online shows the moment Kirk is struck and killed by the lone bullet. The father of two can be seen addressing Kozak before blood starts pouring from his neck and he falls from his stool.
I was talking to Charlie as he died. I made a video about it here. I hope his family and loved ones are safe ❤️ pic.twitter.com/taJiyrcXot
— hunter 🧦🇺🇦🏳️🌈 (@staxioms) September 11, 2025
Kozak said he’s “barely been able to watch” the clip, having witnessed the shooting firsthand. He also said he continues to agonize over his debate topic while emphasizing that even though he didn’t align with Kirk on many topics, they did share a belief in freedom of speech.
“I’m on the record for how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but he is still a human being — have we forgotten that? Are we crazy?” Kozak said in his Instagram video. “I stand by so little of everything that he said, but one of the things that he stood by was conversation.”
Kozak, himself a married father of two, says he mourns the fact that Kirk’s children will “grow up without memories” of their dad.
Kirk was an ally of President Trump and the co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. The event at UVU on Wednesday was the first on a scheduled 15-stop tour of college campuses, where attendees were invited to debate with Kirk.
On Friday, authorities announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with Kirk’s slaying. He’s facing charges including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
