Was Charlie Kirk wearing a bulletproof vest? Video clip sparks new theory
Charlie Kirk's assassination raises questions about body armor and premeditation as details emerge about the suspect.
The assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk has taken a new twist online, with some questioning whether the conservative activist was wearing body armor at the time of his killing.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in his ‘Prove Me Wrong’ debate series. He had been addressing thousands of students when a single rifle round struck him in the neck, according to authorities.
A university spokesperson confirmed that the shot came from the Losee Center, roughly 200 yards from the outdoor stage, about twenty minutes after the event began.
Donald Trump confirmed the news on Truth Social, saying, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Inside the netizen forensics of Charlie Kirk’s shooting
But a video clip circulating on X (formerly Twitter) appeared to show Kirk’s shirt resting on what some users claimed looked like a protective vest. X user Zach Jones' widely shared post argued, “If you notice looking at Charlie Kirk’s shirt, it appears to be resting on something underneath that resembles a bulletproof vest. Which means only a headshot or neck shot would be fatal to him. At 200 yards away, that’s a pretty skilled shot. Meaning this wasn’t a random person in the crowd. It was a professional job.”
“The part your missing is that the bullet initially hit the vest and then deflected up into the neck. If you review the video frame by frame you can see the shot pierce the shirt, and the underlying body armor jumping up in response. The bullet then deflects off the armor into Charlie's neck,” one user speculated in the thread, however, Zach responded, “Nah. That’s a microphone lapel clipped to his shirt. Not a hole.”
“I don't think vest. Check out hi-res photos better than video. There is no way a plate fits that well under t-shirt. The d in freedom is missing, meaning the shirt sinks between pecs, and then under the pec to the stomach contour. plate would be very evident,” another user said.
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Meanwhile, law enforcement nabbed a suspect, Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, who was named as the gunman after the FBI released footage of him leaping from a university rooftop and fleeing. Authorities say Robinson was turned in by his father after the video went public.
Investigators confirmed that Robinson had expressed disdain for Kirk in the days before the attack. The FBI reported: Robinson told his family he disliked Kirk because he believed the conservative figure “spread hate.”
