Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win, Am Yisrael Chai
- Following conservative activist Charlie Kirk's shooting death at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, online users shared a rumor claiming Kirk's wife, Erika, and their two young children, were in the crowd and witnessed the incident firsthand.
- As of this writing on Sept. 17, we located no reports, photos or videos credibly confirming Erika Kirk and her children attended the event. At this point, the possibility remains that Kirk's family could have been at the event or in the vicinity of the university, but no evidence to confirm this information has yet come to light.
- BBC News initially reported the rumor as true, including by citing their apparent misreading of a U.S. senator's X post. BBC News later corrected its reporting to note the "unclear" nature of the Kirk family's whereabouts during the shooting. At least two outlets citing the original BBC News story left their reporting uncorrected.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) played at least three roles in the promotion of the claim. Grok, the AI tool affiliated with X and owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, answered some users' questions about the rumor in posts, claiming Kirk's family was, in fact, present at the event. While attempting to ask Grok for more information, the tool answered by admitting it fabricated evidence to reach its conclusion. Search engines also misleadingly presented incorrect AI-generated answers in search results. Further, Facebook users largely residing in Vietnam promoted the rumor by using AI tools to generate misleading, advertisement-filled articles.
- Additionally, during a Fox News TV appearance, Donald Trump Jr., the U.S. president's eldest son, said Kirk's killing took place "in cold blood in front of his wife and young children" — without providing further corroborating details.
Unpacking claim Charlie Kirk's wife and children witnessed his shooting
Snopes readers asked if the conservative activist's family members were present during his speaking event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.