An expert in trauma and anatomy has provided a detailed analysis of what was happening in Charlie Kirk's brain when he raised both arms following the single gunshot that ultimately killed him.
In a recent Instagram video, medical expert Josh Cottle broke down the complex process that occurs when the human body experiences trauma from a high-speed projectile. He also shed light on the involuntary movements and physiological reactions that followed the injury.
The expert, who frequently shares insights on human physiology and trauma mechanics, began by discussing the dynamics of a bullet striking the body.
He began with a striking comparison: “What happens when somebody uses America’s number one communication tool to hole punch your neck?” referring to the devastating effects of a gunshot. He continued, "As it turns out, it's all bad because the body does not like having extra holes in it."
The Bullet's Trajectory and the Impact on the Body
The expert noted that the location of the shot—targeting the neck—was not necessarily a typical choice for most shooters. "Generally, you're not targeting the neck," he said, explaining that a shooter might have been aiming for a more dramatic, high-profile shot to the head. “In my opinion, this means that the guy was actually going for the crowd pleaser, the headshot. He did most of his practicing horizontally at a range and did not realize that when you're shooting at a downward angle, you are going to get some bullet drop.”
The expert speculated that the shooter could have intended to target the chest, aiming for the "center of mass," but was thrown off by technical factors like a miscalibrated scope or slight drift, ultimately leading to the bullet's passage through the neck.
The expert went on to explain the anatomy of the neck, focusing on the critical blood vessels that were likely impacted by the shot. “Pay special attention to these two large blue tubes,” the expert said, pointing to diagrams of the jugular veins. “These are the external and internal jugular veins, which drain blood from the head back to the heart.”
He then highlighted the common carotid artery, noting that it supplies blood to the brain, with roughly a liter of blood flowing through it every minute.
He continued, “Severing these with anything is a big no-no in the user’s manual of the human body,” emphasizing the severe consequences of damaging these vital arteries. However, the expert made a crucial distinction: this wasn’t just a matter of severing blood vessels; the bullet caused what’s known as a temporary wound cavity.
Temporary Wound Cavity and Decorticate Posturing
“The human body is mostly water and soft tissue,” the expert explained, which means that when a high-speed projectile like a bullet makes contact, it causes a violent reaction. “It causes basically a ballooning and swelling and cavitation of the tissue as it moves through it.” He referred to this as a temporary wound cavity, where the bullet's energy creates massive disruption in the surrounding tissues.
This process, according to the expert, led to extensive damage to the spinal cord and the brain's connection. “As that bullet was passing through, it was causing the ballooning and violent expansion of all of this tissue,” he said. “That led to a complete obliteration or at least very severe damage to the connection between the spinal cord and the brain.”
This damage, the expert clarified, was visible in the video of the incident. Shortly after the shot, Charlie Kirk entered into what’s known as decorticate posturing, a reflexive movement where the arms involuntarily curl toward the chest. “Many people mistook this for him trying to grab the wound,” the expert said, but in reality, “you can see shortly after that that he just goes completely limp.”
The expert’s analysis also addressed the common misconception that medical intervention could have saved Kirk’s life. "To the people saying if there had been an ambulance on the scene or if he had gotten proper medical care, the outcome would have been different—that is not the case," he stated emphatically. “He could have been shot in an emergency room and the outcome would have been the same.”
Finally, the expert confirmed that there was no evidence of an exit wound, indicating that all of the energy from the bullet was absorbed by the body, likely affecting the spinal column and further complicating the situation. “None of the angles of this indicated any kind of exit wound, which means all the energy from that projectile likely went directly into the spinal column,” he concluded.
The expert’s breakdown sheds light on the terrifyingly intricate processes that occur when the human body is struck by a high-velocity projectile, particularly in such a critical area as the neck.
From the immediate effects of a temporary wound cavity to the involuntary decorticate posturing, the insights into Charlie Kirk's response following the fatal gunshot paint a vivid picture of the body’s automatic reactions to catastrophic injury.