EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Kirk 'Snuff Video' Shocker — How Graphic Murder Clips of Right-winger's Shooting Were Allowed to Spread Everywhere Online
Graphic clips of Charlie Kirk's shooting spread online as snuff video fears sparked outrage.
Sept. 11 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Charlie Kirk's assassination has become the latest grim example of how social media has turned moments of violence into viral spectacles, and how little control traditional media now has over the flow of images, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot in front of thousands of people at a Utah college campus, many of them holding up smartphones.
Trump Confirms Death as Footage Circulates Online
Kirk was shot on stage during a Utah campus event.
Within minutes, graphic videos of the shooting – some in slow motion, some replayed in endless loops – were circulating widely on X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Truth Social, where Donald Trump, 79, confirmed Kirk's death.
Traditional outlets were cautious in their coverage, choosing not to broadcast the moment of impact.
Television stations replayed footage of Kirk tossing a hat to his audience seconds before, and later, the scenes of panicked attendees scattering.
But the restraint made little difference in practice.
A technology insider said: "People ended up basically watching live snuff videos. The gatekeeping role of news organizations doesn't mean anything when millions can upload and share instantly."
Viral Videos Replay Shooting in Slow Motion
Attendees captured the fatal moment on their smartphones.
On X, one of the most widely viewed clips showed Kirk's body jolting as blood spurted from his body.
Another, filmed from the left side of the stage, appeared to capture him discussing gun violence at the very moment the shot rang out.
Some users slowed down the footage to linger on the impact, while others reposted the material with captions calling for calm.
"Stop the violence," read one post, before embedding the video itself. Others pleaded with users to refrain from sharing the images.
"For the love of God and Charlie's family, just stop," one online plea said.
Experts warn viral videos outpace media gatekeeping.
Sarah Kreps, a professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, says the reach of such footage was impossible to ignore. She recalled her teenage sons texting her after school. "No," she told them when asked if Kirk had been killed.
"He was shot, but there are no reports he has died." Her son replied: "Have you seen the video? There's no way he could have survived that."
The speed and scale of circulation exposed the limits of platform rules. YouTube said it was removing "some graphic content" and was restricting uploads so under-18s or non-signed-in users could not access them.
"Our hearts are with Charlie Kirk's family following his tragic death," the company said. "We are closely monitoring our platform and prominently elevating news content."
Facebook owner Meta, as well as Instagram and Threads, applied warning labels to posts on Kirk, but did not block them outright.
Its policies permit videos of shootings provided certain criteria are met. The situation echoed earlier controversies, including Facebook's struggle to halt live-streamed footage of the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre in New Zealand.
CNN's David Chalian Warns Nation May Be 'Beyond Repair'
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CNN's David Chalian called the nation 'broken beyond repair.'
Kreps, who has written on technology and disruption, said: "The traditional media can amplify and validate behavior. It can be a signal for how things should be stigmatized, rather than validated or normalized."
Some images made their way into mainstream coverage.
TMZ posted a blurred video of Kirk collapsing, while the New York Post shared similar obscured footage.
Editors argue protecting audiences from graphic shocks remains essential, even if online spaces undermine such efforts.
CNN political director David Chalian reflected bleakly on the implications.
"I don't see how many signs of how we get – as a people, as a nation – to the other side of this," he said. "I think we are broken, and potentially beyond repair."
