A man with a beard who was caught on camera celebrating in the chaos after Charlie Kirk’s assassination has come forward and said that people misunderstood what he did.
Viral Clip Sparks Anger
Video of the tragedy at Utah Valley University on Wednesday quickly spread online. It showed a man in a T-shirt and baseball cap raising his arms and cheering afterward. He later said that he was yelling “USA! USA!” to get people’s attention. Viewers called the scene strange and heartless, saying he was happy about Kirk’s death.
The clip, which got millions of views on X, became one of the most shared pictures of what happened after.
“I Wasn’t Celebrating”
A man who calls himself David now says he was the one in the video and says he wasn’t cheering. Instead, he says he was trying to calm the fear.
David said in a two-minute video on X, “When I heard a loud crack, I thought it might have been fireworks or a prank that went wrong.” “I knew it had to be a gun when none showed up.”
He thought Kirk had been seriously hurt because of how his friend acted. After checking on the security team’s movements without thinking, he remembered saying, “I stood and shouted ‘USA,’ not to provoke them, but to show strength, encourage others, and make a distraction that might help calm panic or even save lives.”
Messages that don’t make sense
David made it clear that he “is not overly familiar with Charlie Kirk’s content” and “would never wish to celebrate harm to anyone.”
But in a later clip, he spoke in a more mysterious way, saying, “My soldiers, including Charlie, are dying so you guys can make fun of each other.” He also called himself “the happiest person you ever met in your entire life.” He didn’t say who he meant by “my soldiers.”
22-year-old Tyler Robinson is accused of killing Charlie Kirk.
A Country Still in Shock
During a student debate, Kirk, 31, was shot and died after being hit in the neck. People from all political parties have condemned his murder, and President Donald Trump called him “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk.”
Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder after a days-long manhunt. Authorities said that his own father turned him in after seeing pictures of him from the FBI.
Questions that still need answers
While Robinson waits for his trial, David’s viral moment is a clear example of how quickly tragedy and confusion can be misread online. He says that what some people thought was a grotesque celebration was really an effort to calm the crowd.
“I would never cheer for someone’s death,” David said. “I just wanted to stop the panic.”
