A week after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, more details are emerging about his final moments. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck during a rally at Utah Valley University on September 10, attended by over 3,000 people. Police say the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was hiding on a nearby rooftop.

Kirk’s close friend Frank Turek, a Christian author, recalled the desperate attempt to save him. “Charlie Kirk was literally a son to me,” Turek said on his podcast, explaining how he gave him CPR in the car. Because of Kirk’s height, “we can’t close the door,” so the ride to the hospital took place with it open.

Despite efforts from Turek and Kirk’s security team, he had already died before reaching Timpanogos Regional Hospital. “Charlie wasn’t there. His eyes were fixed… He was with Jesus already,” Turek said.

Neuropsychologist Derek Van Schaik also analysed the footage and explained Kirk would not have realised what happened. “He was conscious for no more than four-tenths of a second after impact. Far too fast for his brain to even register what had happened.” He added Kirk felt “no panic, no dread, no realisation that he was about to die.”