A man who went viral for being filmed cheering after Charlie Kirk was shot dead has broken his silence. A man going by the name David has claimed to be the person who cheered the tragedy at Utah Valley University, sharing a two-minute video on X.
Footage showed a bearded man wearing a baseball cap and T-shirt raising his arms and cheering after Kirk was fatally shot during his Prove Me Wrong debate. However, an X user has now claimed to be the man and posted a video of himself denying that he cheered the fatal shooting. Instead, he claimed his actions were meant to help “save lives”, as he chanted “USA” to try and create a “distraction”. David said in the video: “When I heard a sharp crack at first, I thought it might have been fireworks or a disruptive prank.
“I looked up to the horizon for smoke. When none appeared, I realised it must have been a firearm.”
He claimed he “instinctively checked the security team’s movement” after he “believed Charlie had been gravely injured”. He then got to his feet and shouted “USA”.
David explained: “I stood and shouted ‘USA,’ not as a provocation, but to project strength, encourage others, and create a distraction that might help calm panic or even save lives.”
Although he claimed not be familiar with Kirk and his political views, David said he “would never wish to celebrate harm to anyone”.
David, who has an account handle of @RtothepowerofX on X, posted a cryptic follow-up video around two hours later. He said he’s “the happiest person you ever met in your entire life” and “my soldiers, including Charlie, dying so you guys can mock each other”.
Kirk, a controversial right-wing activist, was fatally shot during his viral Prove Me Wrong debate in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. Tyler Robinson, 22, was then arrested on suspicion of his murder on Thursday after reportedly being turned in by a family member.
Kirk’s wife, Erika, has since paid tribute to her late husband in an emotional address livestreamed from Turning Point USA’s headquarters in Arizona. She thanked first responders for trying to save her husband’s life and spoke about his love for Donald Trump, the United States and their two young children.
Erika, 36, also confirmed that her husband’s tour of US campuses will continue, as well as his podcast. However, she did not offer any more details.