Hunter Kozak, the Utah Valley College undergraduate scholar who requested Charlie Kirk a query earlier than he was shot, says he was not anxious for his personal life in that second however described what he witnessed as “visceral.”
Kozak informed ABC Information that “I used to be not anxious for my life. It was simply so visceral what I noticed in entrance of me.”
Because the taking pictures loss of life of Kirk on Wednesday, Kozak says that he has since reached out to the police and been questioned by the FBI.
Arriving to the occasion about half an hour earlier than it started, Kozak says that he knew he wished to ask Kirk a query and had a couple of totally different matters ready. When he bought to the occasion, he informed a employees member that he disagreed with Kirk and had a query for him.
He was subsequently directed to a particular space the place individuals who had questions have been ready. Kozak says employees got here round asking the group for his or her questions and, when knowledgeable that they appreciated his query, he was informed that he could be second as much as the rostrum.
When Kozak bought to the microphone, he says he was instructed to not contact it and estimates that he was about 5 to 10 toes away from Kirk.
Then the shot rang out.
A regulation enforcement officer stands guard in entrance of the tent the place U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk was shot whereas talking throughout a Utah Valley College occasion, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025, on this display screen seize from social media video. VERIFICATION: – Location verified by the define and design of the constructing that matched the file and satellite tv for pc imagery of the world – Date verified by corroborating reviews of the incident
Adam Bartholomew/@lifeisdriving /by way of Reuters
Kozak says when he heard the shot, he thought the gun was 5 toes behind his head however that he was very conscious and in management. He says he instantly acknowledged that this was a doable assassination try and that he wanted to get on the bottom and discover his spouse, including that he knew that he wasn’t a goal however that he wanted to get out of the neighborhood.
Following the taking pictures, Kozak mentioned there have been law enforcement officials all around the campus and when he noticed one taking notes, he went as much as him to offer his contact data, informing the officer that he was the individual to final ask Kirk a query and that his spouse had been recording a video, which she then despatched to the authorities.
Through the Utah governor’s press convention on Thursday, Kozak says a reporter requested in regards to the man who requested the ultimate query, and that the reporter mentioned he wanted to be questioned, prompting Kozak to go to police himself, once more.
His father-in-law has since employed him an legal professional and he has been questioned by the FBI, Kozak mentioned.
“The vibe I bought was that they weren’t actually searching for me,” Kozak informed ABC Information, although he declined to enter specifics simply in case it may hinder the investigation.
Kozak, a TikTok content material maker who’s a father of two himself, says that he considers himself politically concerned and progressive however the feedback he has been receiving on his movies and the conspiracy theorists within the aftermath of Kirk’s loss of life have pissed off him.
Kozak’s focus, he says, is on having steady political conversations, one thing he believes he very a lot had in frequent with Kirk.
