Charlie Kirk Killing Rumours Misinformation Rampant On Social Media

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 8:09 PM

charlie kirk killing rumours misinformation rampant on social media

Reporting credits: Seana Davis, Carmel Jaeslin, Shruthi Ramachandran, Neha Mustafi, Anagha TR, Reuters Fact Check Editing by Rod Nickel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Social media has been awash in false claims, misinformation and conspiracies following the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. Some posts have garnered tens of millions of views, many claiming the incident was a hoax or that it was staged. Conspiracy sites like Infowars have also picked up on some of the narratives. CBC's visual investigation unit took a look at some of the most popular claims to separate fact from fiction using open, independently-verifiable sources of information.

Some online commentators have have pointed out an apparently suspicious aspect of the incident: a black mark on Kirk's right upper chest and shoulder area, which appears to detach and disappear during the shooting. Users have raised doubts about the shooting as a whole or claimed that it was a pre-placed squib, or blood pack, a Hollywood method for faking a gunshot wound. In countless previous videos of events similar to the one held at UVU, Kirk has worn what appears to be an identical magnetic microphone clip or similar device in the same area on his... In short, the black "mark" on Kirk's shirt is not an anomaly, but a regular feature of his public appearances. This now-deleted post on X, which had received close to 19 million views, raised questions as to why a private jet, flying under the designation N888KG, left Utah's Provo Airport shortly after the shooting. It also notes that the flight's transponder signal was lost roughly 30 minutes later, stating it "illegally turns off ADS-B radar." ADS-B radar refers to flight tracking technology that broadcasts plane positions, viewable via...

To a query beneath a clip condemning Kirk’s killing, Perplexity’s bot account incorrectly said the individual was describing a “hypothetical scenario”, and that Kirk was “still alive.” Updated 2 months ago · Published on 12 Sep 2025 8:18AM IN the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s shooting, Reuters found that both Perplexity’s bot account and xAI’s Grok chatbot provided incorrect responses to queries on X. In response to a query beneath a clip condemning Kirk’s killing, Perplexity’s bot account incorrectly said the individual was describing a “hypothetical scenario”, and that Kirk was “still alive.” It also responded to a graphic released by the White House that featured a statement on the incident, saying that it appeared to be “fabricated,”, incorrectly adding that there had been “no official confirmation”... Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy.

We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way. Fact‑checking outlets documented a large wave of false and misleading claims after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University event on Sept. 10, 2025; outlets including Reuters, Snopes, CNN, NBC and others debunked misidentifications, fake videos and conspiracy theories that circulated afterward [1] [2] [3] [4]. Major news organizations and encyclopedic pages report Kirk’s death and cover related misinformation and partisan reactions while noting gaps and contested claims about motives and alleged links to foreign actors [5] [6] [3]. 1. The factual baseline: what happened and how outlets report it

Reporting compiled by mainstream outlets and encyclopedic pages states that Charlie Kirk was shot at a public event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, and was pronounced dead; his death drew national attention and political fallout reported by the AP, BBC and Wikipedia entries summarizing the event and aftermath [7] [6] [5]. Those same outlets describe widespread news coverage and political reactions — including responses from President Trump and other conservative figures — which became part of the public record in the days after the shooting... 2. Fact‑checkers’ first priority: correcting misidentified suspects and images Rumors, Misinformation About Charlie Kirk Killing Rampant on Social Media

A drone view shows the scene where U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Cheney Orr Confusion and conspiracy theories spread online after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a university appearance in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday.

As the manhunt continued, online speculation, much of it baseless, emerged about the circumstances of the shooting and the identity of the shooter. Online posts also shared fake headlines about the killing, or real headlines with fake timestamps to claim the media had advance knowledge of the plan. And social media users trying to get clarity from AI chatbots found they were misled. The assassination of Charlie Kirk and the proliferation of misinformation The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University sent shockwaves across the nation, but the tragedy was quickly compounded by a deluge of misinformation spreading across social media platforms. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, in the immediate aftermath, urged citizens to disconnect from social media, citing the rampant spread of false information and the manipulative tactics of foreign actors.

The governor’s plea highlighted the growing concern over the weaponization of online platforms, particularly through the use of bots designed to amplify divisive narratives and sow discord. His comments touched on a larger societal issue: the eroding trust in information sources and the potential for social media to incite real-world violence. Cox’s warnings weren’t isolated. Utah had already initiated legal proceedings against Snap Inc. over concerns about child safety and deceptive practices. The state’s lawsuit against the social media giant mirrored growing national anxieties regarding the addictive nature of these platforms and their potential for exploitation.

The intersection of the Kirk assassination and the ongoing legal battle against Snap underscored the urgency of addressing the impact of social media on public discourse and safety. Bots, misinformation, and the case of Michael Mallinson The governor’s claims about bot activity amplifying misinformation gained traction with the emergence of a specific case: the false accusation against Michael Mallinson, a retired banker from Toronto. Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot erroneously named Mallinson as the suspect in the Kirk shooting. The false information quickly spread across X (formerly Twitter), causing undue distress and reputational harm to Mallinson, who was entirely unconnected to the event. The incident exemplified the real-world consequences of unchecked misinformation and the potential for AI-powered platforms to be used for malicious purposes.

The Grok post remained online even after the real suspect was apprehended, underscoring the lack of accountability and the challenges of rectifying false narratives once they gain traction. The Charlie Kirk assassination follows a script that we have all become familiar with. After his killing, the confusion began almost instantaneously — some claimed they had identified the shooter, others purported that a transwoman was behind the killing. Many suggested the killer was liberal; others floated the prospect that it was a targeted killing by a foreign actor. The death of Charlie Kirk, the famous right-wing activist and close aide of US President Donald Trump, has spawned a barrage of deliberate falsehoods, honest mistakes and a flood of conspiracies. As Vox wrote in one report, “Social media is the worst place to be right now.”

As authorities try to sift fact from fiction and continue their manhunt for the killer, here’s a look at just some of the conspiracies and misinformation that spread in the aftermath of Kirk’s death. Shortly after Kirk was killed, many theories abound about the shooting, with people trying to make sense of the tragedy. One of the theories that has garnered a lot of attention is that Kirk’s bodyguards made hand signals right before he was shot, indicating they might have been in on the killing. Footage from Wednesday’s event at Utah Valley University, which drew about 3,000 people, shows members of Kirk’s small private security team shifting their positions behind him as he spoke. One appears to adjust his cap while holding a phone, while another moves his arms and scans the crowd. Charlie Kirk’s mastery of social media was key to him becoming a force in conservative politics.

Social media has become the town square for increasingly strident debate and the forum for which conservatives have sought to punish people they feel aren’t offering Kirk the proper respect. American flags and flowers are displayed at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Jesse Bedayn) This combination of photos from 2017 to 2022 shows the logos of Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat on mobile devices. (AP Photo, File)

Volunteers from Maitry Nepal clean police station which was vandalized during anti-corruption protests sparked by a short-lived social media ban in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) Charlie Kirk’s mastery of social media was key to his rise as an influence in conservative politics. So the extent to which his death and its aftermath have played out on those forums shouldn’t come as a surprise. Tanisha Long does not think conservative icon Charlie Kirk deserved to be killed, but as a Black woman, she doesn’t mourn him.

She said as much in a Facebook post. “We don’t owe him sympathy,” Long wrote after Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. “We don’t owe his supporters thoughts and prayers. We don’t have to empathize with agents of our oppressors.” It’s a stance the Pittsburgh-based community organizer didn’t think would be hard to understand. Kirk had called the Rev.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. awful and the Civil Rights Act a mistake. But within hours, her phone was lighting up with notifications: people trying to hack her Instagram, calling her racial slurs, and wishing her dead. This all happened after conservative activist Scott Presler, who has 2.3 million followers on X, shared her post, a screenshot of her liking a joke regarding Kirk’s death, and a screenshot of her LinkedIn. “They’re calling my friends, they’re calling my directors, they’re texting me pictures of people who have been bloodied,” Long said.

“They’re sending me pictures of my address. They’re sending me photos of my [place of] work.”

Charlie Kirk Killing Rumours Misinformation Rampant On Social Media

People Also Search

Reporting Credits: Seana Davis, Carmel Jaeslin, Shruthi Ramachandran, Neha Mustafi,

Some Online Commentators Have Have Pointed Out An Apparently Suspicious

To A Query Beneath A Clip Condemning Kirk’s Killing, Perplexity’s

We Don't Take Money From Political Groups - Even A

Reporting Compiled By Mainstream Outlets And Encyclopedic Pages States That