A neuroscientist has revealed what Charlie Kirk experienced in the final seconds of his life, and whether he knew he had been shot.
As widely reported, the 31-year-old conservative activist was debating at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday (September 10) when he was struck by a single shot to the neck.
The assassination, captured on camera, showed him collapsing in his chair with blood pouring from the wound. He was rushed to the hospital by his security team, but shortly afterward, President Donald Trump announced that he was dead.
Derek Van Schaik, a neuropsychologist, took to YouTube to open up about Kirk's death and explained why the right-wing influencer was not aware that he had been shot.
"When someone suffers a catastrophic wound to the neck that destroys a carotid artery and jugular vein, the mind only has a fleeting window to possibly register what happened," he said.
"However, in Charlie's case, and after analyzing the footage with a digital timer, he was conscious for no more than four tenths of a second after impact. Far too fast for his brain to even register what had happened to him."
Van Schaik explained that it was as if the experience "never happened," adding: "No panic, no dread, no realization that he was about to die, only an abrupt blackout. It was neurologically impossible for him to psychologically realize anything was wrong at all."
While pain in the neck can register in just “100 milliseconds,” the expert explained that Kirk blacked out too quickly for the brain to transform that raw signal into a perception of pain.
“He absolutely did not know he was shot,” and he psychologically was unable to even register that anything catastrophic ever happened,” the neuroscientist concluded.
Shocking footage of the moment showed Kirk raising his arms toward his neck before collapsing - something many viewers questioned.
“Many have speculated his arms moving upward towards his chest is due to a phenomenon known in forensic science as decorticate posturing,” Van Schaik said. “However, that’s unlikely.”
He explained that decorticate posturing occurs when “higher brain areas like the cerebral hemispheres are badly damaged, cutting off voluntary motor control,” which did not appear to be the case here.
“An immediate loss of blood to the brain does not typically result in immediate decorticate posturing,” Van Schaik said. “Instead, loss of blood to the brain would have led to rapid unconsciousness and flaccid collapse."
He shared: "Therefore, his arms instantly moving up like that after being hit was apparently due to an instant involuntary defensive reflex.”
He likened the reaction to the instinctive motion a person makes if startled, jerking their arms up to protect their head and body.
Just over a day after the shooting, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack. The president shared that Robinson’s father drove him to a police station, where he was handed over to authorities.
At the time, the FBI had put up a $100,000 reward for information, later raised by pledges from Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz, conservative activist Robby Starbuck, and billionaire Bill Ackman. The total quickly rose to $1,150,000 - later reported as $1.2 million.
Questions soon surfaced about whether Robinson’s family could be eligible for the payout. Ackman addressed the issue directly on X: “A number of people have reached out and/or posted expressing concern that Tyler Robinson’s father may collect a $1.2m reward for turning in his son, which inspires a few thoughts.”
He continued: “First, in order for rewards to be effective in finding criminals, the rewards need to be paid even if the recipient is a crook or worse. That said, in this case, if Tyler’s father is found to have been involved or otherwise acted negligently in contributing to Charlie’s death, civil litigation or criminal prosecution will reverse any unjust compensation.”
Ackman later added that Robinson’s family reportedly intended to waive any right to the money. “So yes, we will pay the reward if it is earned to whomever the FBI indicates provided the information that led to Tyler’s arrest. I always keep my word.”
However, a police report suggested Robinson’s father may not have been the one to alert authorities. According to investigators: “On the evening of September 11, 2025, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend, who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident."
"This information was relayed to the Utah County Sheriff's Office and scene investigators at UVU [Utah Valley University]. This information was also conveyed to the FBI," they added.