Content warning: This story contains graphic content.
Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a rally at Utah Valley University on Wednesday night. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead just two hours later, sending shockwaves across the American political landscape.
But before the news of his passing even reached the headlines, the internet had already seized on the tragedy, spreading shock and disbelief across the globe. Within minutes of the attack, raw, chaotic videos captured by people in the crowd flooded social media.
Footage showing Kirk collapsing from a gunshot wound to the neck exploded on X, racking up over 11 million views in just hours. From there, the videos spread to the other platforms, often repackaged with graphics, commentary, and archival clips of Kirk.
The viral spread was unstoppable. On X, accounts like Uncensored News and Breaking911 (via The New York Times) amplified the clips, with some posts pulling in millions of views in under an hour. Even as moderators scrambled, takedowns proved inconsistent.
Some videos vanished, while others resurfaced almost instantly in new uploads. On YouTube, Google applied age restrictions and removed dozens of videos, but more kept appearing. Meta labeled some clips as "sensitive" but left others untouched.
And on Elon Musk's platform, where censorship rules are looser, the footage traveled the fastest. For many, it felt like déjà vu. Experts quickly drew parallels to Christchurch, Pittsburgh, and even ISIS propaganda, moments of violence captured on camera.
Hundreds of people replied to Musk's posts, pleading for the videos to be removed out of respect for Kirk's family and children. But with millions of shares already logged and countless copies circulating in the shadows, the genie was out of the bottle.