Posted: September 10, 2025

Summary

Witness to the shooting discusses his experience.

Description

Political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at an event on a college campus in Utah on Wednesday. Kirk was at Utah Valley University on Wednesday as part of Turning Point USA’s American Comeback Tour, on college campuses across the U.S. Kirk was the founder of TPUSA. LiveNOW’s Mike Pache is speaking to Michael Maiorano who attended the Charlie Kirk event earlier today.

Transcript

Back everyone to live. Now from Fox. I’m your host Mike Page. Thanks again for joining us. Our breaking news coverage continues of the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk, dead at the age of 31. We are continuing to bring you the very latest on this. We know that the suspect is still at large. The manhunt continues for that shooter. Once we get more information, we will pass that along to you.

In the meantime, I do want to bring in our next guest. He was a witness to this terrible shooting today in Utah. Please welcome everybody, Michael Mariano. Thanks so much for being here with us, Michael. You saw this all happen. Just to tell our viewers, where were you in connection to Charlie and everything that you saw?

Yeah, as many of your viewers know, Charlie, when he visits college campuses, he has a table, he tables, and asks students to prove him wrong or to debate or dialogue on a certain political or theological topic. Um, and so I got to the event early and I went to the line and I spoke with some of the members of the Turning Point chapter at UVU about my question that I wanted to ask him. So they expedited me to the front of the line. Uh, and Charlie arrived on scene at about 12:02, a few minutes after noon, and I believe the shot was fired at 12:10.

Uh, and I was, you know, I was probably 10th in line to ask a question. Uh, so, you know, only 10 or 12 feet to his right. And he was shot in his left neck. Um, and so I didn’t see the grotesque details because I was on the other side, but, uh, you know, it was, I’m still in shock, but, uh, you know, your first second was, oh, someone’s playing, you know, a crash joke to try and ruin the event. And ruin the turnout. And then, you know, after a few seconds, it was like, you know, this is real. I’ve always seen this, um, and wondered if I’d ever be a part of something like this, and now I am. I’m in the midst of a political assassination and a hate crime.

Yeah, I mean, this is just terrible, just how it all unfolded. And just think you were just getting so close to giving your question to Charlie there. Now, when it happened with the shooting, he was very loud. Did everybody know? Okay. Okay. Something is going on here. And when did people start to run?

I mean, I think it’s all a blur momentarily. Um, all some people were under the impression that it wasn’t loud enough to be a gun. I think some people thought it was a firecracker. Um, people started to run pretty immediately. I think the people I was with prioritized getting down on the ground, um, instead of running just because it was in a bowl formation. Um, and we were at the bottom of the bowl, and so if the shooter was up high, anyone that was running, we were afraid was just going to get mowed down. So it was probably 20 or 30 seconds of anticipating a second shot. Um, assuming that it was a mass shooter, and then once I think people realized that it was a more targeted attack, they, you know, we helped people find their families and, you know, get the heck out of there.

Yeah, no doubt. I mean once that happens you just got to start running and hoping for the very best in that moment. That just happens and there’s mass confusion. And then when did you realize okay this is really bad and then when did you get the details that unfortunately he passed away.

It probably took about 3 hours to get the news that he had passed away. Um, you know, we initially, I didn’t even know if he had been hit. I saw him bounce. I saw him fall down in his chair, but I, you know, that was inconclusive. Um, some people were saying he was hit. Some people were saying he wasn’t hit. Uh, and it was there were just mixed mixed news flying around everywhere. Uh, we heard that he had been hit maybe 30 minutes after it was confirmed through video evidence and whatnot.

Um, and then I think we were waiting on standby and, and, you know, as a member of the community down here in Utah, uh, you’re hearing different things from from friends and family who are saying, you know, my uncle works in the hospital, this is what I’ve been hearing. My father-in-law is the surgeon in there right now. This is what I’ve heard. Um, so so mixed reviews until until you know, I think it was President Trump that uh kind of sent out the memo that that unfortunately Mr. Kirk had passed away. Was terrible, terrible, terrible.

I want to show our viewers right now. We’ll get to this in just moments. There’s a vigil going on right now in Orem Utah. We’ll uh give that to you as soon as we wrap up here but I I want to continue with you Michael just because you were so close to this. I mean, just uh 10 people away from asking your question.

And I mean, given everything that we see now in this landscape of political divisiveness, I mean it doesn’t seem like you could have an opinion anymore because if someone doesn’t like your opinion, they’re going to try to find where you’re at and want to kill you. If you’re if you’re if you’re big enough, if you’re an influencer, it seems.

Yeah, certainly um, you know this is this is a political assassination and a political hate crime but in, in the same sense, it’s not political at all. Um, you know, we here in Utah, we here in America are all grieving. Um, you know, we we’re all grieving, so so now is a time to think about what we say and how we say it because if we, if we don’t take a moment to stop and suspend our judgment, instead of focusing on unity, we’re going to you know, we’re going to keep going in this conflict of irrational responding. Um, when we’re projecting, you know, we’re projecting our disbelief and our hurt and our anger and even even you know maybe some people’s um happiness which is disgusting to say.

Um, but but you know we need to take a minute and we need to suspend judgment and we need to focus on the shared humanity in this. And so so our response and my response is to, you know take a moment to process my emotions instead of responding out of shock or anger. Um, and uh, and yet, you know, we need to understand everyone’s suffered over the last year, no matter what site you’re on, this isn’t, you know this isn’t just political this is this is humane. Um and and it is scary that that were killed for our beliefs, right? Our inalienable right, our endowed gift from God in the constitution is the right to life. Um, and and there’s there’s just no word. There’s no words that can describe this. There’s no argument, there’s no politics that. The only way this can be solved is in is in shared compassion and in presence and I can’t offer my words. I can’t offer my argument, I can’t even offer my politics. I can only offer you and and my loved ones around me here in Utah. I can only offer my presence and I can sit and I can be with you and I can listen to your sorrows and I can cry with you. Um and and the way I see it, that’s the only way out of this this sorrow and hurt.

So true. And lastly Michael, I want to get your thoughts because, you know, a couple of hours ago we heard in an update saying that they had someone detained uh that could be possibly the shooter. They said they were questioning them. So the Manhunt was over and now just a little bit ago within the last hour, we learned that the Manhunt is back on. I mean, what are your thoughts on that? Where this little back and forth going on with police, as well as trying to locate? Uh, this coward?

Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, the governor has assured people that that we’re going to get this guy. Um, you know, it’s a tense situation right now with a Manhunt and, and a shooter and a murderer. Uh, uh uh, you know, a criminal on the loose. Um, but you know, we I, I have trust in the authorities. um, and you know, I, I hope this person doesn’t try anything else.

Um, but I don’t know, it’s it’s it’s anxious with all the uncertainty, but in situations, you know, terrible crimes like this in the past. We have equally as little information as we do in this point, and, and, you know you just have to have faith that like the other stories the eye and the the government knows more than they’re letting on. And, and they have a trace on this guy. And, and we’re going to get them. And we’re going to prosecute him to the highest extent of the law.

Yeah. So well said, Michael thanks so much for for speaking with us. I’m glad that you’re okay. But I’m sorry for you that you have to witness such a tragedy today but take care and thanks again for speaking with us.