I was the last person to talk to Charlie Kirk before he was shot… then came the sinister threats
Hunter Kozak, a Utah Valley University student, was mid-debate with Charlie Kirk about mass shootings when a gunman fatally shot Kirk in the neck on 10 September 2025, making Kozak likely the closest witness to the attack. The incident matters because Kozak, who had just become a father days earlier, was thrust into the centre of a high-profile political assassination case and subsequently became the target of an online conspiracy campaign accusing him of complicity, despite having no connection to the shooting.
Kozak, a liberal maths teaching student, had chosen to question the strong Second Amendment defender on gun violence rather than the Epstein files, and the pair were exchanging views on mass shooting statistics when the fatal shot rang out just feet from him. Tyler Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder, with the danger posed to bystanders such as Kozak cited as an aggravating factor that makes him eligible for the death penalty. In the aftermath, conspiracy theorists falsely labelled Kozak a "patsy" and "crisis actor," claiming without evidence that he had signalled the shooter, leading to sustained online harassment including YouTube videos targeting him.
- Kozak was debating Kirk on gun violence when the fatal shot was fired
- Tyler Robinson, 23, pleads not guilty; faces possible death penalty
- Kozak became target of false online conspiracy accusations afterwards
New here? Start with this
Kozak, a Utah Valley University student, was standing close to Charlie Kirk on 10 September 2025 and had just been debating gun violence with him when Kirk was shot dead. That timing made Kozak one of the closest witnesses to the killing, a case that drew huge attention because Kirk was a prominent conservative activist and the shooting has been treated as a political assassination.
A 23-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged over the shooting and has pleaded not guilty; prosecutors have pointed to the risk posed to nearby bystanders, including Kozak, as one of the factors that could make the case eligible for the death penalty. Kozak himself has said he holds different political views from Kirk and had chosen to press him on mass shootings rather than other topics that day.
Since the shooting, Kozak has found himself accused online, without evidence, of somehow being involved in the attack, with some conspiracy theorists labelling him a "crisis actor" or "patsy". This has led to sustained harassment directed at him, even though he has no established connection to the shooter or the crime, adding a further layer of controversy around an already high-profile case.