University of Kwazulu-Natal

Viral Posts Claim Charlie Kirk Shooting Was A Hoax We Debunk Them

Bonisiwe Shabane
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viral posts claim charlie kirk shooting was a hoax we debunk them

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... Since the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, social media users have shared posts showing, quoting or paraphrasing remarks the posts attribute to the conservative activist.

Many readers have asked us to provide the facts on whether Kirk, the founder of the youth political group Turning Point USA, made several of these comments. We’ll review some of the statements that our readers asked about and correct a viral social media post that got what Kirk said wrong. While he did say many of the statements, some have been misrepresented or not presented with full context. A popular post on X incorrectly claimed that Kirk used a slur for Asian people. “That time Charlie Kirk called an Asian woman in the audience ‘c—-’ multiple times,” the post reads, spelling out the slur in full, and accompanied by a montage video from TikTok. “He made millions off of his racism and sexism.”

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 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 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 isn't dead and was wearing a "blood bag" before he was allegedly shot. False. Footage of the shooting is inconsistent with a blood bag being concealed in his T-shirt and the visible bulge is a microphone. AAP FACTCHECK - A social media post is spreading a false conspiracy theory that Charlie Kirk isn't dead and was wearing a concealed "blood bag" under his T-shirt at the time of the shooting. Video footage of the incident, however, shows he sustained a gunshot wound to his upper neck, and the bleeding was inconsistent with a blood bag hidden under clothing. Mr Kirk was also wearing a magnetic microphone during the event, which could explain a bump underneath his clothes in the video.

A well-wisher places flowers at a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of the organization,... 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP) In the hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, details about the shooter remained elusive, and social media users and live TV commentary filled the void with false information. As of late afternoon Sept. 11, a day after the shooting at Utah Valley University where Kirk had been speaking, authorities did not have the shooter in custody and had not released any suspect’s name.

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents "have been working around the clock in coordination with our law enforcement partners," FBI special agent Robert Bohls said during a Sept. 11 news conference. "We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and find out why they did it." Two people were taken into custody on the day of the shooting but neither was the shooter and both were released. 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 countlesspreviousvideos 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 body. 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...

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Social Media Has Been Awash In False Claims, Misinformation And

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 narrat...

In Countless Previous Videos Of Events Similar To The One

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...

Many Readers Have Asked Us To Provide The Facts On

Many readers have asked us to provide the facts on whether Kirk, the founder of the youth political group Turning Point USA, made several of these comments. We’ll review some of the statements that our readers asked about and correct a viral social media post that got what Kirk said wrong. While he did say many of the statements, some have been misrepresented or not presented with full context. A ...

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

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 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 o...

Major News Organizations And Encyclopedic Pages Report Kirk’s Death And

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...