'He was conscious for 4/10 of a second': Expert breaks down Charlie Kirk's likely final moments
OREM, UTAH: Charlie Kirk’s shocking death has left thousands across the nation reeling. Now, a forensic psychologist is breaking down exactly what the conservative firebrand likely experienced in his final moments.
Kirk, 30, was gunned down on Wednesday, September 10, while appearing at Utah Valley University (UVU) in front of a crowd of 3,000. The appearance was part of his “American Comeback” tour, where the right-wing commentator was answering questions on hot-button issues when a bullet ripped into his neck.
The chaos triggered a massive manhunt by the FBI, which ended 33 hours later with the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Forensic psychologist details Charlie Kirk’s neck wound
In a YouTube video, forensic psychologist Derek Van Schaik broke down what happened in those fateful seconds.
“That’s when this single shot was fired. It sadly struck Charlie on the left side of his neck at apparently near his C4 C5 vertebrae and apparently ruptured his left carotid artery and left jugular vein causing sudden and massive blood loss,” Schaik explained.
“The entrance wound was approximately the size of a dime but appeared much larger in footage of the event due to immediate surrounding bleeding," he said.
"Although there was no clear footage of the exit wound, they tend to be much larger than the entrance wound in flesh. Do you know why? It’s because the force of the bullet creates a temporary cavity pushing mass along with it as the bullet exits the body.”
Expert says Charlie Kirk never felt gunshot
The question haunting many has been whether Kirk felt anything before he died. According to Schaik, not a chance.
“You may be wondering if severe damage to the spinal cord at C4-C5 caused Charlie to lose consciousness so quickly. No, it was the massive blood loss he incurred so quickly,” he said.
Schaik broke down the biology.
“The jugular vein carries deoxygenated blood down from the brain while the carotid artery pumps oxygen-rich blood up to the brain. So what happens when both are catastrophically ruptured? Right? The jugular vein drains blood from the brain out of the body while the carotid artery continuously pumps blood out of the body with each heartbeat," he explained. "When someone suffers a catastrophic wound to the neck that destroys a carotid artery and jugular vein, the mind only has a fleeting window to possibly register what happened.”
In Kirk’s case, that window was almost nonexistent. “However, in Charlie’s case, and after analyzing the footage with a digital timer, he was conscious for no more than 4/10 of a second after impact — far too fast for his brain to even register what had happened to him,” Schaik insisted.
Trump to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral in Arizona
Kirk’s funeral is scheduled for Sunday, September 21, at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. President Donald Trump has confirmed he will attend to honor the late conservative icon.
Although Trump did not attend the prayer vigil for Kirk, he reaffirmed on Sunday, September 14, that he planned to be at Kirk’s funeral in Arizona.
When asked whether first lady Melania Trump would join him at the funeral, Trump appeared uncertain. He noted that he had not asked her, adding that while many others were planning to attend, his own focus had been on the upcoming Europe trip and other matters.
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