The last person to debate Charlie Kirk before he was assassinated on stage at Utah Valley University has spoken out and acknowledged the tragic irony of their exchange.
Hunter Kozak, 29, a UVU mathematics student who goes by the name Hunter Stax online, approached the microphone during Kirk’s “Prove Me Wrong” event on Wednesday (September 10) to spar with the conservative activist over statistics about transgender mass shooters.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kozak asked. Kirk replied, “Too many.”
Kozak countered that the number was five. “Counting or not counting gang violence?” were the final words Kirk uttered before a single gunshot struck him in the throat.
In a video posted the next day, Kozak reflected on the chilling moment: “People have obviously pointed out the irony that I was - that the point I’m trying to make is how peaceful the left was right before he got shot. And that only makes sense if we stay peaceful.”
The man condemned those celebrating Kirk’s death or calling for more violence. “First off, you sick f***ing psychos that think this is the answer, it’s not,” he said, close to tears.
“Charlie had two kids and a wife, and not to make this about me, but I have two kids and a wife, and if my 1-year-old boy, like his 1-year-old boy, would grow up without memories of his dad…it’s a tragedy,” he shared, hand on his forehead.
“I’m on the record with how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but he’s still a human being. Have we forgotten that? Are we crazy? I stand by so little of everything that he said, but one of the things that he stood by was conversation," he added.
More than 24 hours after the killing, authorities appealed directly to the public for help identifying the shooter, offering a $100,000 reward for information.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, appearing alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, said the bureau had already received over 7,000 leads. “We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” Cox said, per The Guardian.
Newly released video shows a person in a hat, sunglasses, and a long-sleeve black shirt running across a roof, then climbing down and fleeing into a nearby neighborhood.
Investigators recovered a high-powered hunting rifle in a wooded area along the escape route, a palm print, and a shoe impression.
Cox warned against disinformation spreading online: “Our adversaries want violence. We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world that are trying to instil disinformation and encourage violence. I would encourage you to ignore those, to turn off those streams.”
He also pledged to pursue the death penalty once the shooter is caught.
Kirk’s casket was flown home to Phoenix aboard Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha.
Vance helped carry the coffin alongside service members before posting: “So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024; he helped us staff the entire government.”
Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk co-founded, also released a statement, which read: “All of us have lost a leader, a mentor, and a friend. Above all, our hearts are with Erika and their two children. Charlie was the ideal husband and the perfect father. Above all else, we ask you to pray for the Kirks after the incomprehensible loss they have suffered.”
Trump said he would award Kirk the Medal of Freedom posthumously, and in an Oval Office address vowed: “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.”
The next day, the president appeared to soften his tone, agreeing with a reporter’s suggestion that his supporters should not respond with violence.