A security expert warned Charlie Kirk that there was a “100%” chance he would be killed speaking at university campuses before he was tragically shot dead.
Kirk, a conservative activist, was fatally struck by a single bullet during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University. The 31-year-old co-founded the conservative organisation Turning Point USA and was a close ally of President Donald Trump.
A manhunt is ongoing with no arrests made yet, and authorities are seeking a new person of interest in the assassination, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The shooting comes amid a surge in attacks on political figures in the United States across all parts of the ideological spectrum. Kris Herzog, owner of The Bodyguard Group of Beverly Hills which works with high-profile clients, says he had a conversation with Kirk on March 6 to discuss his safety and issued him a stark warning.
While conversing with him at California State University, he claims he told Kirk he would “100% be killed at one of his upcoming university speaking events” unless he took serious precautions.
However, while Kirk reportedly listened to some of the advice, he did not get back in touch with Herzog. “Sadly he never got back to me and now my prediction of his murder has come true,” Herzog told the Daily Mail.
Herzog and his team were alarmed by Kirk’s rising political profile and inadequate protection. He stated: “Everyone in my group felt that his security was not even close to what it should be and he was in grave danger of being shot and killed at one of his upcoming events.”
Herzog, who the Mirror reports worked with high-profile clients like Kim Kardashian, suggested that Kirk use bulletproof glass panels for protection and recommended the use of metal detectors to screen anyone within a 700m radius.
“I told him that a sniper would probably go for a headshot, which means it was of critical importance to have the ballistic glass,” Herzog revealed.
Following his assassination, Trump labelled Kirk “a martyr for truth and freedom”. While he condemned the “demonising” of political opponents in the US, he claimed the rhetoric of the “radical left” was “directly responsible”.
The President survived two assassination attempts during last year’s campaign, sustaining injuries in one.
In his comments, Trump referred to shootings of United Healthcare’s chief executive and Republican Rep. Steve Scalise. However, he made no mention of attacks on Democrats, such as the murder of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman.
“Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,” he declared.