Hunter Kozak never imagined his question to conservative activist Charlie Kirk would be Kirk’s last. Seconds after their exchange on stage at Utah Valley University, the 31-year-old political commentator was shot and killed, leaving Kozak stunned and the nation reeling.
Kirk was hosting his “Prove Me Wrong” event Wednesday evening in Orem, Utah, when the attack occurred. According to police, a single shot from a .30-06-caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle struck Kirk in the neck as he answered audience questions. He was pronounced dead at Timpanogos Regional Hospital shortly after being rushed from the scene.
A Debate Cut Short
Kozak, a 29-year-old UVU mathematics student who uses the name Hunter Stax online, approached the microphone to challenge Kirk on his comments about transgender mass shooters. “Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kozak asked, citing a number of five.
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk replied—his final words before the fatal shot rang out, according to video clips circulating on social media and confirmed by witnesses (Reuters).
Reflections on a Final Conversation
In a video posted Thursday on Instagram and X, Kozak expressed shock at the deadly timing. “People have obviously pointed out the irony that the point I’m trying to make is how peaceful the left was right before he got shot,” he said. “And that only makes sense if we stay peaceful.”
Fighting back emotion, he added, “I’m on the record with how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but he’s still a human being. Have we forgotten that? Are we crazy?” Kozak noted that both he and Kirk are fathers of young children. “It’s a tragedy,” he said, pausing with his hand on his forehead. “One of the things he stood by was conversation.”