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, delved into the chaotic aftermath of the assassination with podcaster Shawn Ryan this week. 

Footage of the shooting that swept social media showed two members of Kirk's security team awkwardly adjusting themselves seconds before he was shot. 

But while some online claimed the security guards lifting their shirt sleeves or moving their hats was evidence of foreknowledge of the shooting, Harpole said his team didn't use hand signals at all. 

'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. 

The security expert explained that if his team did use such techniques, they would never rely on 'normal' gestures that could be mistaken for everyday movements.  

'(We'd use signals that) can't be confused with a man scratching his a**,' he said. 

He said if anyone on his team was making a signal to other guards, they would instantly look to Harpole for instruction on what to do next - which he says never occurred before the shooting. 

'It's not good communication,' he continued. 

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,' he said. 

'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 theories he's seen come from the shooting, 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 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. 

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.