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Categories: News
September 12, 2025

Henry Dells, the first audience member selected to ask Charlie Kirk a question at the rally where Kirk was shot, gave an exclusive interview recounting the moments immediately before the assassination attempt. Dells had asked Kirk about the Mormon church and family values, a friendly exchange, before passing the microphone. The next questioner then asked about transgenderism, the final question before Kirk was struck. Dells revealed he had spoken with this individual minutes before the event, as a small group of pre-selected questioners gathered at the front. During that conversation, the person discussed transgenderism but gave no indication of violent intent. Dells said the sequence left him guessing but testified the questioner appeared to be an ordinary person with a difference of opinion.

Henry Dells: "It Was Something Unbelievable to Me"

Henry Dells was the first person to step up to the microphone at the Charlie Kirk rally where Kirk was later shot. Dells, who studies debate and apologetics with friends who admired Kirk's argumentation style, had only learned about the event a couple of days beforehand. Friends reached out and suggested they collectively try to attend and ask questions.

"He was a big, monumental inspiration for us," Dells explained. "We do apologetics and debate all the time, and we loved his debate tactics. He meant a lot to us."

Dells was selected as one of four or five audience members to stand at the front of the line before the event. He asked Kirk about the Mormon church — specifically Kirk's views on Mormons having large families. The exchange was friendly and conversational.

Pre-Event Conversation With the Next Questioner

Before the event began, the selected questioners gathered at the front and spent roughly five to six minutes discussing what each planned to ask. Topics included abortion, racial issues, and transgenderism. The individual who would later ask about transgender shooters — the final question before Kirk was shot — was among them.

"I never got anything out of him, or even heard anything where he seemed to refer to anything about shooting," Dells said. "It kind of just leaves me guessing a little bit."

Dells noted that most of the other selected questioners disagreed with Kirk on their topics, while he personally had difficulty finding political disagreement with Kirk. He settled on a religious question about Mormonism to have something respectful to raise.

The Question Before the Shooting

After Dells finished and passed the microphone, the next questioner asked Kirk about transgenderism — specifically, the interviewer noted, about transgender shooters. It was the final question before Kirk was struck.

During the interview, the anchor revealed that the individual had just submitted a video statement, which was played for Dells in real time. In the statement, the person explained: "The point I was trying to make is how peaceful it was right before you got shot. And that only makes sense if we stay peaceful. As much as I disagree with Charlie Kirk — I'm on the record for how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk — but man, he is still a human being. Have we forgotten that?"

Dells Sympathises, Cannot Rule Out Coincidence

Hearing the statement, Dells said he felt for the individual, acknowledging that backlash might follow given the timing of the question. He admitted the sequence was shocking to look back on but said he could not conclude there was intent behind it.

"I never left out the fact that it could have just been a coincidence," he said. "When I was speaking with him prior to the event, I never felt like he had any hatred for Charlie. I can testify he seemed like an ordinary kid who just had a difference of opinion."

Dells drew on his own family background to illustrate the point, noting that his household includes conservatives, moderates, and those on the left, and that he navigates those divisions every day. "We're all human and we should love each other," he said.

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Video Transcript

[00:00] Our next guest was the first

[00:01] person to take the mic

[00:03] at Kirk's event yesterday,

[00:05] and so you can see him there

[00:07] asking about religion

[00:08] in the Mormon church.

[00:10] Just moments before

[00:11] Kirk was shot and killed.

[00:12] Let me play for you this exchang

[00:15] Said we are fine.

[00:16] Polite discussion

[00:18] on what I love about Mormons at

[00:21] is that they can afford.

[00:25] Him plenty.

[00:26] His time for Mormons.

[00:27] You know Joe back.

[00:28] No one is LGBT stuff.

[00:34] Them and church

[00:35] companies need to.

[00:39] Henry Dallas is out front now.

[00:41] He was the one asking the questi

[00:42] And, Henry, obviously,

[00:44] I'm very sorry for what you witn

[00:46] and what you have now gone throu

[00:48] You were

[00:48] you were there yesterday

[00:49] asking questions, standing

[00:51] actually at the front

[00:52] because as Charlie Kirk

[00:54] walked out to to the crowd

[00:56] and then you got selected

[00:57] to ask the first question,

[00:58] I mean, literally moments

[00:59] before he was killed, right?

[01:00] You get picked,

[01:01] you start asking your question.

[01:03] Can I just ask you, first of all

[01:05] and I

[01:06] say what it was like for you,

[01:08] what it meant to you

[01:10] to have that interaction with hi

[01:11] to be picked, to ask a question.

[01:13] The Church of Jesus Christ of La

[01:15] Saints, who is more?

[01:16] Yeah.

[01:17] I mean, it was

[01:17] it was something

[01:18] that was unbelievable to me.

[01:19] I actually found out

[01:21] just like a couple of days earli

[01:24] that Charlie was actually coming

[01:26] and, you know, I, I,

[01:28] a couple of friends

[01:28] messaged me from the avenue.

[01:29] They said, hey,

[01:29] we should all collectively, coll

[01:31] try to go and ask him a question

[01:33] I mean, he was a big, monumental

[01:34] for us.

[01:35] And, me and a bunch of friends d

[01:37] apologetics and debate all the t

[01:39] And we loved his debate tactics.

[01:41] And we study it, and we do it of

[01:42] And he was a big inspiration to

[01:44] and meant a lot.

[01:46] So you ask your question,

[01:47] and obviously he's

[01:48] talking about Mormons there,

[01:50] and wanting them

[01:51] to have a lot of children.

[01:52] And then you were done.

[01:54] Right.

[01:55] And you passed the mic

[01:56] to the next person, right?

[01:57] And the next person after you. H

[01:59] And this is something I don't kn

[02:01] if it

[02:01] has sunk into you

[02:03] and really in so many ways,

[02:04] but that's the person

[02:06] who asked the question

[02:06] about transgender shooters, righ

[02:08] The question that was,

[02:10] right before Kirk was shot.

[02:12] Now, I understand, Henry,

[02:13] that you did have a chance

[02:15] to speak with the person

[02:15] who asked that question.

[02:16] It was a man before the event st

[02:19] what can

[02:19] you tell us about that conversat

[02:21] when you were talking about your

[02:23] your questions?

[02:23] The chance that you both had to

[02:28] Yeah.

[02:29] after we each kind of got select

[02:30] they picked about 4 or 5 of us

[02:32] to be at the front of the line.

[02:34] we each kind of

[02:34] had about five, 5 to 6 minutes

[02:37] where we just kind of discussed,

[02:39] hey, like,

[02:39] what are we going to talk about?

[02:41] What are your questions

[02:42] and what are your questions?

[02:43] You know,

[02:43] there was a lady

[02:43] that was going to talk

[02:44] about some abortion issues,

[02:45] which was understandable.

[02:47] And Charlie talks

[02:47] about them all the time.

[02:48] There was some racial issues

[02:49] and his was transgenderism.

[02:51] And, you know,

[02:52] the why people feel like

[02:54] they are something that they are

[02:56] And, I never got anything out of

[02:59] or even heard anything where he

[03:01] to refer to anything about shoot

[03:03] I think it's I don't

[03:04] I mean,

[03:04] I don't know if it was purposefu

[03:06] or what the whole thing was,

[03:07] but it was shocking to me.

[03:09] Just, looking back after the eve

[03:12] the sequencing of everything and

[03:14] I think, it

[03:15] kind of just

[03:16] leaves me guessing a little bit.

[03:18] Right?

[03:19] Because you're saying he

[03:20] you knew it was a question

[03:21] about transgenderism, but

[03:23] it sounds like

[03:24] from your conversation with him,

[03:25] could you tell that he disagreed

[03:26] with Charlie on that issue?

[03:28] Or could you not even tell that,

[03:31] yes. Yes, ma'am.

[03:33] As a matter of fact,

[03:34] I think I was, which was kind of

[03:36] the first person asking the ques

[03:38] I actually really didn't disagre

[03:39] with Charlie on a lot of things

[03:40] in regards to politics.

[03:41] I agree, it,

[03:42] the only I defined the religious

[03:45] so I could find something

[03:45] to disagree with him on.

[03:47] but the three people behind me

[03:48] all had things that they disagre

[03:50] Charlie on.

[03:51] like I said,

[03:51] it was either transgenderism.

[03:53] it was either

[03:55] a race, aspect or if it was,

[03:59] what was the other thing?

[04:01] Yeah, something I forget.

[04:03] I'm sorry.

[04:04] No, that's all right. That's all

[04:05] I certainly didn't mean

[04:05] to put you on the spot

[04:06] in that way, Henry,

[04:07] but I, I actually,

[04:08] just as you and I are speaking,

[04:09] we got a video from the person

[04:11] from the guy after you. Right.

[04:12] The one who asked the question

[04:13] about transgender shootings at y

[04:15] that you're explaining

[04:16] had told you is going to ask

[04:17] about transgenderism

[04:18] but did not mention shooting at

[04:20] that person just shared

[04:22] a video statements with us.

[04:24] Just got it.

[04:25] I haven't heard it myself.

[04:26] Let me play it.

[04:27] You and I can hear it together.

[04:28] Henry.

[04:30] And people have obviously pointe

[04:31] to the irony that

[04:34] I was the point that I was tryin

[04:36] make is how peaceful was

[04:40] right before you got shot.

[04:42] And that.

[04:45] That only makes sense

[04:46] if we stay peaceful.

[04:48] as much as I disagree with Charl

[04:49] Kirk, I'm on the record

[04:50] for how much I disagree

[04:51] with Charlie Kirk.

[04:52] But, like,

[04:53] man, dude, he is still a human b

[04:57] Have we forgotten that?

[04:58] Or we create, like.

[05:03] Obviously,

[05:04] you know, he's emotional and ups

[05:05] there as well.

[05:07] Henry,

[05:08] you know,

[05:08] what's your reaction hearing tha

[05:10] Of course.

[05:10] That's that's the young man

[05:11] who who asked the question

[05:12] right after you.

[05:14] Yeah. Yes, ma'am. Yeah.

[05:16] I think I kind of feel for him

[05:17] a little bit,

[05:17] because I can definitely underst

[05:21] some people

[05:21] might be giving him some backlas

[05:22] just because the sequence of how

[05:24] he articulated his question

[05:26] and then what came immediately a

[05:28] and, you know, I,

[05:29] I, I've had even,

[05:31] you know,

[05:31] thoughts of scenarios of like,

[05:33] oh, maybe this is something that

[05:35] you know,

[05:36] was involved in in sequence and

[05:38] But, I also never left out the f

[05:40] that, hey,

[05:41] it could have just been a coinci

[05:43] And, you know,

[05:44] when I was speaking with the ind

[05:45] prior to,

[05:46] I never felt like

[05:47] she had any hatred for Charlie a

[05:49] I can

[05:50] I can testify

[05:51] he seemed like an ordinary kid

[05:52] who just had, a difference of op

[05:55] And we actually shared a little

[05:57] because my my family,

[05:59] we definitely are all conservati

[06:01] We were different.

[06:03] I got some that are left.

[06:05] Yeah, some that are. Right.

[06:06] My dad's kind of in the milk

[06:08] and so I have to live that

[06:09] I have to deal with that every d

[06:11] And so I understand what he's sa

[06:12] We're all human and

[06:13] we should love each other.

[06:14] I 100, thank you very

[06:16] much for coming on

[06:17] and for talking about all of thi

[06:19] I know it's not easy.

[06:20] And in a moment like this, perha

[06:22] the easiest thing to do

[06:23] is to say nothing.

[06:23] But I really appreciate,

[06:24] you know,

[06:25] everyone does appreciate

[06:26] hearing you talking about it. Th

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