A forensic psychologist has revealed what Charlie Kirk would have experienced in the final moments before his death.
Kirk died after being shot in the neck while appearing on stage to a 3,000-strong crowd last Wednesday (September 10) at Utah Valley University (UVU).
The appearance was part of his ‘American Comeback’ tour and the political commentator was answering questions on various moral issues including gun control when he was struck in the neck.
Following Kirk’s shooting, a manhunt was conducted by the FBI, which resulted in the arrest of 22 year old Tyler Robinson 33 hours later.
Advert
Now, one expert has explained what actually happened to Kirk after he was shot and whether he experienced any pain.
Posting a video on his YouTube channel, Derek Van Schaik said of the moment Kirk was shot: “That’s when this single shot was fired. It sadly struck Charlie on the left side of his neck at apparently near his C4 C5 vertebrae and apparently ruptured his left carotid artery and left jugular vein causing sudden and massive blood loss.
“The entrance wound was approximately the size of a dime but appeared much larger in footage of the event due to immediate surrounding bleeding. Although there was no clear footage of the exit wound, they tend to be much larger than the entrance wound in flesh. Do you know why? It’s because the force of the bullet creates a temporary cavity pushing mass along with it as the bullet exits the body.”
The YouTuber went on to say: “You may be wondering if severe damage to the spinal cord at C4 C5 caused Charlie to lose consciousness so quickly. No, it was the massive blood loss he incurred so quickly.
“The jugular vein carries deoxygenated blood down from the brain while the carotid artery pumps oxygen rich blood up to the brain. So what happens when both are catastrophically ruptured? Right? The jugular vein drains blood from the brain out of the body while the carotid artery continuously pumps blood out of the body with each heartbeat… When someone suffers a catastrophic wound to the neck that destroys a carotid artery and jugular vein, the mind only has a fleeting window to possibly register what happened.
“However, in Charlie’s case, and after analyzing the footage with a digital timer, he was conscious for no more than 4/10 of a second after impact - far too fast for his brain to even register what had happened to him.”
This means it’s likely that Kirk didn’t even know he was shot before he lost consciousness and he was likely gone before his brain could even register a signal for pain.
Kirk’s funeral is expected to take place on Sunday (September 21) at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, with President Donald Trump confirming that he will be in attendance.