Utah Eyewitness Taylor Bentley describes the moment when Charlie Kirk was murdered

Salt Lake City – Taylor Bentley, a Utah resident who said he was 15 to 20 meters from Charlie Kirk when he was murdered, Fox News Digital told there was a moment that it did not believe it was real.

“He spoke of armed violence and initial thinking, during only a millisecond, was like:” Is it a little that he does, where he lean back? And then, immediately, it’s like no. “”

Bentley said he was close enough to Kirk to see the blood run through his neck. While he was briefly incredulous, he then quickly jumped into the action.

Taylor Bentley, a Utah resident who said he was a witness to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, spoke to Fox News Digital of the heartbreaking experience in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 12, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey / Fox News Digital)

“After only a second shock, I lowered my friends,” said Bentley. “And we are on the ground for about 15 seconds, just a little helpless before people start running towards the buildings surrounding the courtyard. And we took off and sheltered there for about 20 minutes.”

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During these 20 minutes of rescue, Bentley said he was worried, but he did not feel dangerous.

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, distributed hats Maga to the public on May 1, 2025, during an event in California. (Michael Ho Wai Lee / Sopa Images / Lightrocket via Getty Images)

“We felt almost sure it was a targeted assassination. We immediately knew that Charlie was not going to arrive. We were close enough to see what the blow looked like and knew he was probably not being able to do it,” said Bentley.

During the two days that followed Kirk’s assassination, he told Fox News Digital, he loved the message of community leaders, including Governor Spencer Cox, Rutah, who was still addressed to the public conferences since Wednesday.

Cox called Kirk’s assassination a “American history watershed” after announcing the suspect’s arrest.

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A memorial for Charlie Kirk at the University of Utah Valley in Orem, Utah, September 11, 2025. (Fox News Digital / Deirdre Heavey)

The governor said that Kirk’s “political assassination” was a “attack on American experience”.

“The story will dictate if it is a turning point for our country, but each of us can choose at the moment if it is a turning point for us. We can make decisions. We have our agency. And I desperately call each American – republican, democrat, liberal, progressive, conservative, Maga, all of us please, please follow what Charlie taught me,” Cox said on Friday.

Bentley said Cox “did a phenomenal job by pushing a message of unity, faith, hope and embracing the message that Charlie pushed there for open dialogue, and to avoid violence, and to approach our disagreements with words instead of violence”.

Since the assassination on Wednesday, Utah has organized several watch. In Orem City Park on Thursday evening, several students and local residents paid tribute during a candlelit vigil.

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An honest Kirk memorial at the Timpanogos Regional Hospital is flooded with posters “We Love You, Charlie”, American flowers and flags. More panels and flowers have been placed for Kirk on the University of Utah Valley campus.

The flags fly throughout the state to half of the staff this week, and many gathered for a vigil at the Capitol of the Utah State on Wednesday evening.