Video Shows Man Cheering Moments After Charlie Kirk Assassination

A mystery bearded man was seen appearing to celebrate the shooting of Charlie Kirk.

A disturbing video has surfaced that appears to show a bearded man celebrating in the moments immediately after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a college campus event in Utah.

The footage, widely circulated online and captured from TV broadcasts, shows a young man in a black T-shirt and backwards baseball cap pumping his fists and cheering seconds after the gunshot that struck Kirk, 31, in the neck while he spoke at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon.

A figure was visible on a rooftop in the background after the shots rang out

Unlike other spectators who dove to the ground in fear, the unidentified man, with long hair and a beard, remained standing and appeared to look back toward the direction the fatal shot came from. The reaction has sparked outrage online, with many describing his behavior as “psychotic” and “celebrating death.”

“This guy happens to know where the shooter was and is looking back, cheering him on after the lifeless body of Charlie Kirk has fallen to the ground,” one user wrote on X alongside the clip. Another added, “How psychotic do you have to be to cheer as Charlie Kirk gushes blood and dies, while others scream and cower?”

Panicked crowd members run after Charlie Kirk is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025

The Utah County Sheriff’s Department confirmed it has been made aware of the video. Investigators are now working to determine whether the man was connected to the attack or was simply a bystander reacting inappropriately.

The FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety have both labeled the shooting a targeted attack, though no motive has yet been disclosed. The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office has released images of a separate “person of interest” connected to the case, but no arrests have been made.

A map of the shooter’s location during the Charlie Kirk event at UVU

Footage from the immediate aftermath of the shooting shows Kirk recoiling as blood poured from his neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was later pronounced dead.

In response to the assassination, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance announced changes to their travel schedule so they could visit Salt Lake City on Thursday to pay respects to Kirk’s family. Political leaders across the spectrum have condemned the killing, calling for unity against political violence.