The Utah college student who spoke with Charlie Kirk in the moments before his death spoke out Thursday, lamenting his death as a “tragedy.”
Hunter Kozak had been speaking with Kirk about mass shootings when an assassin shot and killed Kirk right in front of him. Many pointed out the odd nature of the conversation as it related to the incident afterward.
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Kirk’s final words in the conversation asked whether Kozak’s count of mass shootings included “gang violence.” He said the final point he was trying to make with Kirk is how “peaceful” the Left was before Kirk was shot.
“It’s a tragedy,” Kozak said in an Instagram video. “It’s hard to grapple with.”
Kozak had posted videos that disagreed with Kirk in the past, but he said violence was not the answer.
“I’m on the record with how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but, like, man, dude, he is still a human being,” he said. “Have we forgotten that?”
Kozak is a student at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was speaking as part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
The man who asked Charlie Kirk the tr*nsgender question before he was shot breaks his silence.
— Vigilant Fox ???? (@VigilantFox) September 11, 2025
“The point I was trying to make is how peaceful the left was (long pause) right before he got shot.” pic.twitter.com/NkF6yqsr6B
He expressed sympathy for Kirk’s wife and children.
TRUMP AND VANCE LEAD MOURNING AFTER CHARLIE KIRK KILLED IN UTAH
“Charlie had two kids and a wife. And, like, 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, grew up without memories of his dad, it’s a tragedy,” Kozak said.
“People have obviously pointed to the irony that the point I was trying to make is how peaceful the Left was right before he got shot, and that only makes sense if we stay peaceful,” he added.