The college student who was engaged in a heated exchange with Charlie Kirk just before the conservative activist was fatally shot at Utah Valley University has broken his silence, slamming those online who appeared to celebrate the killing.
Hunter Kozak, a math student at the university and a small YouTube creator, was debating Kirk on stage during a student event Thursday evening. He had asked Kirk a pointed question about transgender mass shooters and was waiting for a response when the gunfire erupted. Kirk was struck in the neck and died at the scene.
Kozak later recorded a video statement on X, expressing both shock over the incident and disgust toward the reaction he witnessed online.
“First off, you sick psychos that think this is the answer—I don’t know what else to say. It’s not,” Kozak said. “It’s awful. A father doesn’t have his kids anymore. Charlie had a wife and two children, and now those kids have to grow up without their dad.”
Kozak drew on his own life to underline the gravity of the loss: “I have two kids and a wife. My 1-year-old won’t remember me if something happened to me now, just like Charlie’s won’t remember him. That’s a tragedy, and it’s hard to even process.”
He also reflected on the debate itself, noting the irony of what he was trying to communicate right before the violence unfolded. “The point I was making was about how the left often pushes for peace. And then, in the middle of that conversation, Charlie Kirk gets shot. That only makes sense if we actually stay peaceful.”
Kozak stressed that while he disagreed with Kirk on many political issues, that didn’t erase Kirk’s humanity. “As much as I disagreed with Charlie, he was still a human being. Have we forgotten that? Are we insane? He believed in conversation. We could fight and argue with words—but he didn’t deserve this.”
He also turned his criticism toward his own online audience, warning that anyone celebrating Kirk’s murder would not be welcome in the community he’s trying to build. “If you’re salivating over this, if you think it’s some kind of victory—you’re not part of this. I want nothing to do with you.”
The investigation into Kirk’s killing is still ongoing. FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday that federal authorities had received over 11,000 tips from the public in connection with the shooting. Utah Governor Spencer Cox also appeared alongside Patel, promising that officials would continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Kirk’s death has sent shockwaves across the political world, sparking both mourning from his supporters and fierce debate online about the increasingly hostile climate surrounding political figures.