Apologist Dr. Frank Turek has shared his firsthand account of what he saw happen during the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk. He described in detail the moments surrounding the fatal shot, the desperate efforts to save his life and the enduring faith that now strengthens many in the aftermath.
Turek, who was with Kirk at Utah Valley University on the day of the shooting, remembers the atmosphere before the tragedy as electric. Crowds of young people filled the area, chanting “USA! USA!” as Kirk tossed hats into the audience. “I’ve never seen a crowd so enthusiastic to see Charlie,” Turek said.
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That energy was shattered in an instant. As Kirk began answering questions, a single gunshot rang out. Turek, standing just feet 30 away, saw Kirk collapse. Security immediately rushed forward while Turek ducked down, fearing more shots. “I was on FaceTime with my family at the time,” he recalled. “All I could say was, ‘No, no, no, no, no.’”
Kirk’s team carried him swiftly to a waiting SUV. Turek jumped into the back as it sped toward the hospital, the rear door still open to make room for Kirk’s tall frame. Inside, chaos and urgency mixed with prayer. “I’m yelling, ‘Come on, Charlie, come on,’” Turek said. While his team worked calmly and with skill, Turek attempted CPR. However, Turek said, “Charlie wasn’t there. His eyes were fixed. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me right into eternity. He was with Jesus already. He was killed instantly and felt absolutely no pain. That’s what I was told later.”
At the hospital, doctors confirmed what Turek already sensed: Kirk had suffered a catastrophic wound. Though medical staff fought to revive him, the outcome did not change. “They did get a pulse back,” Turek said, but “20 or 30 minutes later, the surgeon came out and said he was dead.”
Turek also debunked the online theory about the “man in the white hat” circulating on social media where conspiracy theorists tried to suggest that a man near Kirk was giving signals to the sniper. Turek noted this inaccuracy because he was the one wearing the white hat.
“This is where you may have seen an internet conspiracy,” said Turek. “Yeah, the man in the white hat was me…maybe I touched my nose or something while I’m holding my phone because I’m Facetiming my daughter-in-law and they’re huge Charlie fans…they thought Dan his main security guy was giving signals too. Signals for what? There’s a sniper up there. He doesn’t need anyone to signal anything. He can look through a scope and see what’s going on.”
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Looking back, Turek framed the tragedy through the lens of Scripture. Romans 8:28, he said, assures believers that God brings good even out of evil. Like Joseph in Genesis who declared, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good,” Kirk’s death, he believes, will lead many to Christ. Kirk himself once said he wanted to be remembered for “courage for my faith.” For Turek, that mission was fulfilled. “Mission accomplished. Good and faithful servant,” he said.
Even in grief, the call remains clear: we must continue Kirk’s work of bold evangelism. “Let’s do what Charlie would want us to do,” Turek urged. “Let’s make heaven crowded.”
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
