Mystery Audience Member Cheering as Kirk Was Shot Appears to Come Forward With Bizarre Story and Even Stranger Promise

One of the most disturbing clips to emerge in the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk has taken on a bizarre new twist.

The footage, which spread rapidly across social media, shows a tall, bearded man standing and chanting “USA, USA” immediately after Kirk was fatally shot on stage Wednesday at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. While Kirk’s security rushed to his aid, the suspect slipped away off camera.

The apparent celebration outraged viewers online.
“This guy cheered after Charlie Kirk was assassinated,” one X user wrote. “I have no words left.”

But the man, identifying himself only as “David,” has now come forward claiming his actions were misunderstood. In a video posted to X on Friday afternoon, “David” insisted he was not celebrating Kirk’s death but trying to “project strength” and prevent panic in the chaotic moment.

“Realizing the situation was dangerous, I stood and shouted ‘USA,’” he explained. “Not as a provocation but to project strength, encourage others, and create a distraction that might help calm panic or even save lives. At that moment, no one knew whether this was a lone shooter or something coordinated.”

He added that his “background as a soldier” helped him keep composure under pressure, saying he “would never wish to celebrate harm to anyone.”

Later, he published another post describing Kirk as one of his “soldiers” and condemned the toxic climate of political discourse.
“I am absolutely sick of all of my soldiers, including Charlie, dying so you guys can mock each other,” he wrote.

Strangely, “David” then criticized figures across the political spectrum, from HBO host John Oliver to conservative commentators Matt Walsh and Steven Crowder, claiming their commentary fuels destructive division.

“There is allot of rage directed at me but I promise you’ll understand when I speak and I eagerly await a return to silence,” he wrote Thursday. “Some are upset because I smile, some because I chear and others because they don’t have the information yet.”

If he hoped to calm public outrage, it didn’t work. His latest video drew a barrage of hostile responses, including anti-Semitic attacks from some users who assumed his heritage. Others were simply blunt, with one commenter summing up the majority view:

“What you did was dumb. Just own up and apologize.”

Kirk’s assassination has left a gaping wound in the conservative movement, and the bizarre spectacle surrounding this video has only deepened the nation’s grief and anger.