Stephen A. Smith Shames Kirk Celebrators as a Pre-Published Amazon Book and Pre-Dated Articles Raise Questions
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Stephen A. Smith Shames Kirk Celebrators as a Pre-Published Amazon Book and Pre-Dated Articles Raise Questions
As the manhunt for Charlie Kirk's shooter intensified, a live broadcast connected several alarming details: an Amazon book titled "The Shooting of Charlie Kirk" allegedly published the day before the assassination on September 9th, news articles from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times that appeared to report the shooting 19 hours before it happened, and a Utah man who published a song called "Charlie Kirk Dead at 31" and reportedly bears a close physical resemblance to the person of interest in FBI surveillance footage. The broadcast also features Stephen A. Smith delivering an emotional rebuke of those celebrating Kirk's death online, calling it a shame and expressing disgust at the hundreds of mocking videos circulating. Smith focused on the human reality: a 31-year-old father of two children under five, shot in front of his kids because someone disagreed with his ideas.
CBS News Reports FBI Has a Name as Manhunt Intensifies
This broadcast came as the manhunt for Charlie Kirk's killer was accelerating. CBS News reported that their sources confirmed the FBI had identified a name and believed they knew who they were looking for, with agents actively in pursuit. The broadcaster notes he does not yet have that name but wanted to bring the development forward immediately. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino were reported to be flying into Utah to personally oversee the investigation, with both committed to bringing the suspect to swift justice. Many voices online and in the broader commentary space were already calling for the death penalty.
FBI Releases Photos of the Sniper Nest
The FBI released images of the firing position on top of the campus building — showing exactly where the shooter had positioned himself. The photos showed the marks where the shooter's knees, elbows, and forearms had rested, the location where the weapon was found, and where the spent bullet casing was recovered. The images confirmed a clear line of sight to the tent where Charlie Kirk was speaking — a shot of approximately 200 yards, fired just to the side of a building corner.
What Was Scratched on the Bullet Casings
The broadcaster reported that inscriptions on the bullet casing included trans messaging and anti-fascist messaging. The full text had not yet been released publicly at the time of this broadcast, and it remained unclear whether additional inscriptions appeared on the rifle itself. The broadcaster raised open questions about the shooter's identity and motivation, specifically whether the perpetrator was transgender, was driven by ideological anti-fascist politics, or whether the inscriptions were intended to frame or implicate those communities.
Suspicious Pre-Publication Content: The Amazon Book and Pre-Dated Articles
Alex Jones flagged what the broadcaster described as deeply suspicious pre-publication content, which the broadcaster then independently verified using Grok, the AI tool on X, and through internet archive records. An Amazon listing for a book titled "The Shooting of Charlie Kirk" by Anastasia JK Casey showed a publication date of September 9th — one day before the assassination. The listing had been updated, but the original September 9th date was confirmed through internet archive records.
Separately, users online noticed that articles from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times appeared to have been published "19 hours ago" when checked on September 10th — meaning the articles would have been timestamped from September 9th, before the shooting took place. The broadcaster acknowledges this may reflect metadata anomalies or pre-scheduled article infrastructure, but says it is suspicious enough to warrant investigation. "The FBI needs to be knocking down some doors over there," was Alex Jones's reaction to the Amazon book.
The Utah Man and the Song Called "Charlie Kirk Dead at 31"
The broadcaster also described going down a separate research path after Alex Jones pointed to online activity in Utah. A man in Utah reportedly published a song titled "Charlie Kirk Dead at 31" in the weeks before the assassination. When the broadcaster compared available photos of this individual to the FBI person-of-interest images, he described the resemblance as eerily similar — similar chin, dark hair, and matching features when glasses and a hat were mentally removed. He was explicit that he was not making an accusation and did not name or show the individual, stating he did not want to falsely identify someone or trigger any kind of vigilante action. He said he intended to verify whether the name CBS News reported matched this individual.
Stephen A. Smith Delivers a Rebuke of Those Celebrating Kirk's Death
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith went on record with an emotional and direct statement calling out the online celebration of Kirk's murder. Smith said he had seen hundreds of videos mocking Kirk and saying he deserved what happened, and called it disgusting and shameful.
"I don't care what his political beliefs were. I don't care what he felt," Smith said. "I care about the fact that a man was gunned down in front of two of his children who are 5 years of age or less. That he's dead at the age of 31. That his wife is a widow. That his children are fatherless because his ideas and his beliefs differed from somebody else apparently. Shame. Shame on you."
Smith also pushed back on the tendency to respond to a tragedy with 24 hours of acknowledgment and then move on as if nothing happened, calling for a more sustained confrontation with what the violence represents.
Obama's "Stay Angry" Clip Draws Criticism
Former President Barack Obama was quoted on X saying he did not understand why someone would want to hurt Charlie Kirk. However, the broadcaster also played a separate clip of Obama telling a crowd of young people to "stay angry" and "stay frustrated" and to "keep it up." The broadcaster argues this sends a contradictory message — publicly condemning the violence while separately encouraging the emotional state that feeds it.
JD Vance Meets the Kirk Family, Trump Calls Erika Kirk
Vice President JD Vance flew to Utah on Air Force Two and personally met with the Kirk family to offer condolences. Vance was set to accompany Charlie Kirk's body back to Arizona, where the family lives, so that a funeral could be held. President Trump called Erika Kirk directly. She was described as devastated and in denial. Trump publicly committed to attending the funeral.
Secret Service Tightens Around President Trump
Following Kirk's assassination, the US Secret Service announced tightened security around President Trump. With Trump attending a Yankees game, law enforcement presence in and around Yankee Stadium was significantly increased. The broadcaster called for these elevated security measures to be made permanent wherever the president travels. The broadcaster also noted that in a Colonel McGregor interview earlier in the day, there were reports of online communities actively discussing who to target next — with names including Benny Johnson, Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro, and President Trump himself being mentioned.
