(NewsNation) — A witness to the Charlie Kirk shooting, Tom Johnson, was positioned “directly in front of” Kirk at the Utah Valley University Turning Point USA event with his wife when he heard a “very loud crack.”
Johnson told “NewsNation Now” that he recognized the noise and immediately knew it was a gunshot: “I’m former military, and as a hunter, I knew.”
Johnson described the “horrendous” environment in the aftermath of the shooting, saying he was knocked to the ground as people scrambled to take shelter.
Charlie Kirk dead after being shot at Utah event
Johnson said he initially feared the worst, thinking he might be in the middle of someone shooting into the crowd while he and his wife took cover in a nearby building.
Johnson stated that the shooting occurred close to when the event started, amid a debate between Kirk and an attendee about the LGBTQ identity of the shooter in the recent Minneapolis school shooting.
Johnson said he believes the shot came from far away, “not like an up close pistol shot, more like a further back rifle.”
Chris Stirewalt, NewsNation political editor, reacts to Kirk shooting
Johnson also explained that there was a “fairly large protesting group” at the event and that they were being “vile with their language and actions” towards Kirk and attendees.
President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s passing on social media: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.”
