THE EVENT. LISA. SO WE ARE HEARING FROM MORE PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THAT RALLY TODAY. KCRA 3’S ANAHITA JAFARY IS IN THE NEWSROOM WITH WHAT THEY SAW. YEAH. CURTIS. LISA, FEAR IS THE WORD ECHOING ACROSS UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY. STUDENTS TELL ME THEY NEVER THOUGHT THEY’D EXPERIENCE SOMETHING LIKE THIS AT THEIR SCHOOL. ONE STUDENT TELLS US SHE FELT THE EVENT WASN’T VERY SECURE, SAYING SHE DIDN’T NOTICE MANY SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE. ESPECIALLY WITH HOW PACKED IT WAS NOT ONLY WITH STUDENTS, BUT FAMILIES, LARGE CROWDS, AND EVEN PROTESTERS. ONE COUPLE WE SPOKE WITH SAYS THE LOUD BANG DIDN’T SOUND LIKE A GUNSHOT AT FIRST, BUT ONCE PEOPLE STARTED SHOUTING AND RUNNING, THEY KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HERE’S WHAT THEY REMEMBER FROM THOSE TERRIFYING MOMENTS. WE’RE JUST TALKING FOR A LITTLE BIT, AND WE HEARD A BIG LOUD. WE HEARD A LOUD NOISE. AND AT FIRST I DIDN’T THINK IT WAS A GUNSHOT. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE LIKE A SOMEONE. I DON’T KNOW, SETTING OFF LIKE A FIREWORK OR SOMETHING. I DON’T KNOW. BUT EVERYONE STARTED RUNNING AND WE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY SAW BLOOD. AND SO THAT’S WHEN IT STARTED TO GET SCARY. SO WE WERE RUNNING OUT OF THERE. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A SKETCHY ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO LIKE METAL DETECTORS OR ANYTHING. LIKE PEOPLE COULD JUST WALK IN. AND SO THERE WERE A LOT OF FAMILIES THERE TO. BUT AFTER WE HEARD IT, I WAS SO SCARED. I DIDN’T THINK, I DIDN’T WANT TO THINK IT WAS A GUN OR A SHOOTING. BUT I REALIZED, LIKE, THERE WAS NO WAY IT WASN’T GOING TO BE, THAT. STUDENTS SAY THEY’RE NOW UNEASY ABOUT RETURNING TO CAMPUS AND UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHAT THE UNIVERSITY WILL DECIDE FOR UPCOMING CLASSES. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. I’M ANAHITA JAFARY KCRA THREE NEWS. THANK YOU. AND HERE IS MORE ABOUT CHARLIE KIRK, THE CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST WAS 31 YEARS OLD, A FATHER OF TWO. HE FOUNDED TURNING POINT USA IN 2012. THE NONPROFIT ADVOCATES FOR CONSERVATIVE POLITICS ON HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP CREDITED KIRK AND HIS GROUP FOR GALVANIZING A
Utah Valley University students recount chaos after shooting of Charlie Kirk
Students at Utah Valley University describe fear and confusion following the shooting, with many expressing concerns about campus security and future events.
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Updated: 6:49 AM CDT Sep 11, 2025
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Fear, terror and confusion gripped Utah Valley University as students recounted the chaos following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at their school. One couple who witnessed the shooting said the loud bang initially did not sound like a gunshot, but the panic that ensued made them realize something was wrong."We were just talking for a little bit, and then we heard a loud noise, and at first I didn't think it was a gunshot. I thought it might be like someone, I don't know, setting off, like, a firework or something," said Spencer Evans, a senior at Utah Valley University. "But, everyone started running, and then we heard people say that they saw blood, and so that's what started to get scary. So we were running out of there."Another student noted the lack of security measures during the event, which was crowded with students, families, and protesters."It was kind of like a sketchy environment because there was no, like, metal detectors or anything," said Rose Call, a freshman at the university. "People could just walk in, and so there were a lot of families there too. But after we heard it, I was so scared, I didn't think... I didn't want to think it was a gun or a shooting, but I realized there was no way it wasn't going to be that."Students are now uneasy about returning to campus. The university said all classes and administrative operations would be suspended until next week — but the tragedy continues to weigh on the students.Freshman Natalie Euler was present during the incident, saying she does not share Kirk's political views, but believes no one should be shot and killed for their beliefs. Euler described the event as terrifying, noting that she initially did not register the sound of the gunshot amid the chaos. "People are running in, and then everybody's saying, like, there was a gunshot. One girl said it sounded like a firecracker, and then another person came in and said there was blood rushing and he was just running by, and so I didn't hear anything else he said," Euler recounted. "Then another person, I heard them say... he got shot in the neck. I saw it happen."Euler said she will be more aware of her surroundings moving forward and is hesitant to attend future political events.As of Wednesday evening, law enforcement has not made an arrest in the deadly shooting. Related video below: Former president of College Republicans at California college reflects on Kirk's legacy
Fear, terror and confusion gripped Utah Valley University as students recounted the chaos following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at their school.
One couple who witnessed the shooting said the loud bang initially did not sound like a gunshot, but the panic that ensued made them realize something was wrong.
"We were just talking for a little bit, and then we heard a loud noise, and at first I didn't think it was a gunshot. I thought it might be like someone, I don't know, setting off, like, a firework or something," said Spencer Evans, a senior at Utah Valley University. "But, everyone started running, and then we heard people say that they saw blood, and so that's what started to get scary. So we were running out of there."
Another student noted the lack of security measures during the event, which was crowded with students, families, and protesters.
"It was kind of like a sketchy environment because there was no, like, metal detectors or anything," said Rose Call, a freshman at the university. "People could just walk in, and so there were a lot of families there too. But after we heard it, I was so scared, I didn't think... I didn't want to think it was a gun or a shooting, but I realized there was no way it wasn't going to be that."
Students are now uneasy about returning to campus. The university said all classes and administrative operations would be suspended until next week — but the tragedy continues to weigh on the students.
Freshman Natalie Euler was present during the incident, saying she does not share Kirk's political views, but believes no one should be shot and killed for their beliefs. Euler described the event as terrifying, noting that she initially did not register the sound of the gunshot amid the chaos.
"People are running in, and then everybody's saying, like, there was a gunshot. One girl said it sounded like a firecracker, and then another person came in and said there was blood rushing and he was just running by, and so I didn't hear anything else he said," Euler recounted. "Then another person, I heard them say... he [Charlie Kirk] got shot in the neck. I saw it happen."
Euler said she will be more aware of her surroundings moving forward and is hesitant to attend future political events.
As of Wednesday evening, law enforcement has not made an arrest in the deadly shooting.
Related video below: Former president of College Republicans at California college reflects on Kirk's legacy
