Charlie Kirk’s former head of security has dismissed conspiracy theories claiming his team flashed ‘suspicious’ hand signals moments before the conservative activist was assassinated
Brian Harpole, who was leading Kirk’s security detail when the Turning Point USA founder was gunned down in Utah on September 10, told podcaster Shawn Ryan that his team would never rely on ‘normal’ gestures that could be mistaken for everyday movements.
Conspiracy theories quickly swirled following Kirk’s assassination, as eagle-eyed viewers said two men standing behind the activist appeared to adjust themselves awkwardly seconds before he was shot.
Harpole said that he understood that people were passionate about learning why Kirk was killed, but said there was nothing to theories that his security guards were lifting their hats or raising their sleeves to indicate the incoming shot.
He said his team would never use a signal that could be mistaken for a normal movement, saying if they did use hand signals, they would be ones that ‘can’t be confused with a man scratching his a**.’
Furthermore, he said his team at Utah Valley University was ‘not using hand signals’ at all during their work that day.
‘If we needed to relay a message, then we’d [say it] on comms… if we notice something, we’re not gonna use a hand signal,’ he said.
He added that if anyone on his team had made a hand signal, the entire team would simply look at Harpole wondering what they were supposed to do.
Brian Harpole (pictured) Charlie Kirk’s head of security explained that there was nothing to theories on the internet regarding hand gestures made by his team just before the conservative activist was assassinated
Harpole – who was the lead on the fateful day in Utah when Kirk was killed by a single bullet – was asked by podcaster Shawn Ryan about the use of hand signals in the leadup to the shooting
‘It’s not good communication,’ he said.
Harpole added that he was confused when he first saw conspiracies that focused on a member of Kirk’s security team, Frank Turek, merely ‘because he adjusted his hat.’
‘It’s like, okay, substantiate. So he touched his hat,’ Harpole continued.
‘There were a line of people in the front and other people that did all kinda things, everybody’s subject to that.’
Harpole was bewildered by the number of conspiracies he’s seen, including an especially bizarre one that claimed Kirk’s wife Erika was responsible.
‘I get it, I’m not a conspiracy guy but I do believe that there are things out here bigger than you and I that are in operations,’ he said.
On theories related Erika, Harpole said: ‘She’s a victim, that’s her husband. How people without any proof are saying she’s responsible, that’s what makes me lose faith.’
However, Harpole said he held his own suspicions about the Kirk shooting, as he said he ‘did not trust my own eyes, ears, what I was reading, what I was watching.
A user on X questioned two men who were allegedly ‘giving hand signals’ including one who was seen adjusting his hat. Harpole said it was merely a coincidence
‘A lot of people have sensationalized this, and that is a real shame… it makes it impossible to find the truth,’ he added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Turning Point USA for comment.
The 31-year-old conservative activist and media personality was shot in the neck while speaking at an outdoor event on September 10, just after beginning a Q&A session in front of thousands of students and supporters.
Security rushed him from the stage, and he was transported to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, where he was later pronounced dead.
Within hours of the shooting, videos, photos, and eyewitness accounts began circulating on social media, with users rushing to dissect every frame for clues.
Some of the most extreme posts suggest everything from suspicious private jets to hand signals and even claims that the gunshot was actually an explosion.
Conspiracy theorists have seized on brief clips and images, spinning intricate narratives despite investigators’ warning that no verified evidence supports these claims.
Law enforcement agencies have also urged the public to rely on official updates rather than online posts.
Harpole was bewildered by the number of conspiracies he’s seen, including an especially bizarre one that claimed Kirk’s wife Erika was responsible
Tyler Robinson, 22, was later arrested and charged with the murder of Kirk
However, it has not stopped a flurry of online debate, as conservatives scrambled to make sense of a shocking attack.
A post on X questioned: ‘…and why are these two guys giving hand signals immediately before the shot? Both standing perfectly to the side of the bullet track.’
Observers on social media have speculated that the gestures could be signals related to the shooting.
Investigators have not confirmed any connection, and neither man has been named by authorities as having any involvement in the shooting.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was later arrested and charged with the murder of Kirk.
The assassination of Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, has galvanized Republicans who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of moving American politics further right.
The President has declared Kirk a ‘martyr’ for freedom and threatened to crack down on what he called the ‘radical left.’
He presented Kirk’s widow, Erika, with the Medal of Freedom in honor of her late husband in October.
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