Frank Turek Details Heart-Wrenching Moments After Charlie Kirk Was Shot

In an emotional broadcast that has left conservative circles reeling, renowned author Frank Turek revealed harrowing details of the frantic moments following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. Turek, a close friend and mentor to the 31-year-old activist, was riding in the SUV that rushed Kirk to the hospital after he was fatally shot in the neck during a debate at Utah Valley University (UVU) on September 10.

Speaking on what he described as "the most difficult show I have ever done," Turek, 63, fought back tears as he recounted the chaos, offering a message of faith and comfort amid national grief. "Charlie was literally like a son to me. I have three sons. He was like my fourth son," Turek said, his voice breaking during the Wednesday episode of his podcast, *Cross Examined*.

Turek was standing just yards from Kirk on stage when the single rifle shot rang out from a rooftop over 100 yards away, fired by suspect Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident now facing aggravated murder charges and the death penalty. The bullet struck Kirk in the neck, causing him to collapse instantly as blood poured from the wound.

As security personnel loaded Kirk into the SUV, Turek climbed in on the right side, cradling his friend's limp body. "We heard this pop. It sounded like it was close," Turek recalled. "I'm on one side of the car... and they're getting Charlie in." The vehicle sped toward the hospital, with Turek and the team desperately applying pressure to the wound and praying aloud.

In a moment of raw desperation, Turek attempted CPR. "And I go, we got to start CPR. So I try and start that," he said. "Now, Charlie wasn’t there. His eyes were fixed. He wasn’t looking at me. He was looking past me right into eternity ... He was killed instantly and felt absolutely no pain."

At the hospital, a brief flicker of hope emerged when medical staff detected a faint pulse. "We had a small sliver of hope," Turek shared. "And the doctor later said that we got a pulse because Charlie was a very healthy man, but the shot was catastrophic." Tragically, 20 to 30 minutes later, surgeons confirmed Kirk had succumbed to his injuries.

Turek relayed a poignant note from Kirk's widow, Erika, emphasizing the instantaneous nature of her husband's passing as a source of solace. "Now, here's what Erika wants me to relate," Turek said, pausing to compose himself. "If that's any comfort at all, Charlie didn't suffer." He noted that the pain is "proportional to the value of the loss [and] to the greatness of the man."

The account quickly went viral on X, with users sharing clips and expressing heartbreak. "Frank Turek was WITH Charlie Kirk in the car after Charlie was shot," one post read, garnering thousands of views. Another called it a "first-hand account of the shooting," urging prayers for those affected.

Turek's presence at the event thrust him into the spotlight amid swirling online conspiracies. Viral videos falsely accused the man in a white hat and shirt, later identified as Turek, of giving "mysterious hand signals" to signal the sniper. On September 12, Turek's team issued a firm denial: "The viral accusations against Dr. Frank Turek are categorically false. Dr. Turek was at Utah Valley University as part of Charlie Kirk’s team, standing with him as a close friend and mentor."

Their bond was well-documented; Turek frequently appeared on Kirk's podcast and at Turning Point events, discussing faith, politics, and morality. "Like everyone, we want Charlie’s assassin brought swiftly to justice, but reckless and false accusations only distract from the truth and dishonor Charlie’s memory," the statement concluded.

Eyewitnesses have shared their own traumatic recollections, describing the "one pop" that sent crowds scrambling and Kirk's body going limp. As UVU students return to a campus forever altered, one survivor, Afton Miller, who was mere feet away, told Fox News, "No one should ever be able to say I've witnessed... the assassination of one of your greatest heroes."