By Staff Reporter December 17, 2025
The independent journalist and broadcaster Candace Owens has intensified scrutiny of federal investigators’ account of the September assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, identifying undeniable discrepancies in the ballistics evidence presented by authorities. Ms. Owens, whose broadcasts have drawn millions of views amid the national debate over the killing, has demonstrated over the course of dozens of broadcasts that forensic details released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation do not align with eyewitness accounts, medical reports, and independent analyses, debunking the Bureau’s narrative of a lone gunman.
Ms. Owens’ broadcasts have prompted calls for an independent investigation.
The episode aired Wednesday on Ms. Owens’ YouTube channel and titled, “The Bullet That Doesn’t Add Up: Unmasking the Kirk Forensics Fraud,” dissects the FBI’s description of the fatal projectile as a standard .30-06 round from a bolt-action rifle that ricocheted off a nearby structure before striking Mr. Kirk in the neck.
According to the bureau’s November court filing in the case against suspect Tyler Robinson, the round—recovered from the scene via a bullet fragment—exhibited deformation consistent with a glancing impact prior to penetration.
These findings are inconsistent with a shot fired from approximately 142 yards away on a rooftop overlooking the Utah Valley University event in Orem, Utah. They debunk the the FBI’s allegations regarding both the ammunition and weapon that could have been used in the assassination.
Mr. Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, faces aggravated murder charges and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in late January; he surrendered the day after the September 10 shooting. He has maintained his innocence.
Citing an off-the-record conversation with the lead surgeon, Dr. Lee Trotter of Intermountain Healthcare, she claims the medical team identified the injury as consistent with a frangible bullet—a type designed to fragment upon impact to minimize overpenetration and ricochet risks, commonly used in training or urban scenarios.
“The official story peddles a miracle ricochet that saved lives below, but the surgeon’s notes point to a bullet engineered not to bounce,” Ms. Owens stated, displaying redacted autopsy excerpts obtained through a source at the Utah medical examiner’s office. She contrasted this with the FBI’s assertion, noting that frangible rounds in .30-06 caliber produce distinct cavitation patterns—temporary wound cavities up to three times the bullet’s diameter—without the tumbling motion expected from a ricocheted projectile.
Supporting her case, Ms. Owens referenced a 2022 study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, which analyzed 150 high-velocity rifle wounds and found that ricocheted bullets exhibit irregular yawing and fragmentation inconsistent with the clean entry channel observed in footage of the incident.
She also highlighted the recovery of the alleged murder weapon—a Mauser Model 98 rifle abandoned in nearby woods—questioning its chain of custody.
Local law enforcement bomb-sniffing dogs, trained to detect explosives and gunpowder residue for up to seven days, swept the area hours after the 12:23 p.m. shooting and found nothing, according to logs Ms. Owens obtained from an anonymous Orem police officer. It was only after FBI agents arrived, directing three rookie officers with less than 18 months’ combined experience to “recheck” the site manually, that the rifle surfaced in dense brush, she said.
“Dogs miss nothing—until the feds rewrite the script,” Ms. Owens remarked, echoing concerns raised in a December 10 motion by Mr. Robinson’s defense team to suppress the weapon as potentially planted.
The broadcast featured contributions from a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives examiner, who reviewed photos of the rifle and ammunition under pseudonym. He noted that the weapon’s bore showed no pitting from prolonged use, atypical for a vintage Mauser sourced from a black-market dealer as alleged, and that the casings lacked the expected ejector marks for a single-shot scenario.
Ms. Owens tied this to broader anomalies, including federal agents’ presence at the hospital where Mr. Kirk was pronounced dead—guarding the body and seizing surveillance footage during an active manhunt—and a disputed “steel neck” quote attributed to Dr. Trotter, which she labeled a fabrication to explain the lack of an exit wound. The surgeon, reached by The Wall Street Journal, declined comment, citing patient privacy, but confirmed in a brief statement that he had not publicly discussed bone density.
The FBI, in a December 15 briefing, defended its ballistics report as corroborated by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which matched striations on the fragment to test-fired rounds from the recovered Mauser.
“Our analysis aligns with the physical evidence and witness testimonies, including video footage of the shooter,” said Special Agent Robert Bohls, who led the on-scene response. The bureau has offered a $100,000 reward for additional leads but dismissed conspiracy claims as “unsubstantiated distractions” that could compromise the prosecution.
Ms. Owens’ reporting has resonated in conservative circles, amassing over 3 million views in 24 hours and prompting Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Mich.) to call for a congressional oversight hearing on forensic protocols. Yet it has drawn rebukes from mainstream outlets. A Reuters review of post-assassination firings found over 600 individuals disciplined for online comments questioning the official account, underscoring the polarized discourse.
As Mr. Robinson’s trial looms, Ms. Owens vowed to continue her probe, teasing forthcoming “financial reports” linking Turning Point insiders to the plot. Whether her ballistics critique holds in court remains to be seen, but it exemplifies the tensions between independent media and federal authority in an era of high-profile political violence. For the Kirk family and Turning Point USA, now led by Mr. Kirk’s widow Erika, the pursuit of closure contends with a narrative fractured by doubt.
Understanding Frangible Bullet Forensics
Frangible bullets represent a specialized category of ammunition designed primarily for safety in controlled environments, but their unique behavior upon impact introduces distinct challenges and considerations in forensic science. Below, I’ll explain the key concepts, mechanics, and forensic implications step by step, drawing on established ballistic and medical research.
Frangible bullets are projectiles engineered to disintegrate or fragment into small particles upon striking a hard or semi-rigid target, such as a metal backstop or concrete. This design minimizes the risk of ricochet—where a bullet bounces off a surface and continues traveling at high speed, potentially causing unintended injury or damage. Unlike traditional lead-core bullets, which deform but remain largely intact, frangibles are typically manufactured by compressing powdered metals (e.g., copper, tin, or tungsten) into a solid form without a jacket or core. This powder-based construction allows them to shatter brittlely on impact, similar to how a ceramic mug breaks when dropped.
- Primary Uses: They are favored for law enforcement and military training due to reduced ricochet hazards and lower environmental toxicity (lead-free). Emerging “ultra-frangible” variants are being explored for self-defense or tactical scenarios, where fragmentation in soft targets (like human tissue) is desirable to limit over-penetration.
- Calibers and Types: Commonly available in handgun calibers (e.g., 9mm) but increasingly in rifle rounds (e.g., .223 or .30-06). Examples include SinterFire, Extreme Shock, or custom compressed-powder loads.
How Do Frangible Bullets Behave Ballistically?
The forensic analysis of frangible bullets hinges on their terminal ballistics—their performance upon hitting a target. Behavior varies by design, velocity, and target material:
- On Hard Targets (e.g., Steel or Concrete):
- The bullet shatters into dozens or hundreds of tiny fragments (often <1mm in size), which lose energy rapidly due to increased air resistance.
- This is quantified by the “frangibility factor” (FF_T), a metric from ballistic testing: FF_T = (impact energy used for fragmentation + target damage + fragment acceleration) / initial kinetic energy. Values >1 indicate effective fragmentation; lower values mean the bullet remains more intact.
- Forensic Benefit: Reduces scene hazards during recovery, as fragments scatter but don’t travel far.
- On Soft Targets (e.g., Ballistic Gel or Tissue):
- Standard Frangibles: Often penetrate 10-18 inches (similar to full-metal-jacketed bullets) while staying mostly intact, creating a narrow wound channel with limited expansion. This results in minimal tissue damage beyond the permanent cavity (the bullet’s path).
- Ultra-Frangibles: These disintegrate even in soft media, breaking into fine particles after 2-6 inches of penetration. This creates a larger temporary cavity (up to 3x the bullet’s diameter due to hydrostatic shock) and leaves multiple small fragments embedded, causing persistent bleeding and organ damage.
- Testing Insight: Experiments in 10% ballistic gelatin (a tissue simulant) show less fragmentation than in real porcine (pig) muscle, where bio-fluids accelerate breakup. A 2013 study found ultra-frangibles like the Extreme Shock Fang Face (FF) reduced penetration by 50-70% compared to standard rounds but increased wound severity through fragmentation.
Forensic Challenges and Analysis Techniques
Frangible bullets complicate crime scene investigation, autopsy, and courtroom evidence due to their non-traditional failure mode. Key issues include:
- Ballistic Matching (Firearms Identification):
- Traditional bullets leave toolmarks—lands, grooves, and striations—from the gun’s barrel, allowing matches via microscopes or databases like the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).
- Frangibles destroy these marks during fragmentation, making it nearly impossible to link fragments to a specific firearm. Recovery often yields only powder-like residue, requiring advanced spectrometry (e.g., scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis) to identify metal composition (e.g., copper-tin alloy) rather than gun-specific traces.
- Implication: Cases may rely more on casings, witness statements, or DNA on residue.
- Wound Pathology and Autopsy:
- Entry/Exit Wounds: Small, clean entry holes (0.3-0.5 cm) with minimal beveling; no exit wound if fully fragmented. X-rays reveal dispersed “dust-like” fragments rather than a single slug.
- Internal Damage: Ultra-frangibles cause “tumbling” effects post-fragmentation, lacerating vessels and nerves over a wider area. A 1966 forensic study noted persistent effects from embedded particles, complicating surgical removal. Modern research (e.g., 2012 PubMed review) highlights variable wounding: some types mimic low-energy handgun rounds, others rival high-velocity rifles in lethality.
- Differentiation: Pathologists distinguish frangibles from hollow-points or full-metal-jackets via fragment size and lack of jacket material. Toxicology may test for metal powders if ingestion occurs.
- Scene Recovery and Testing:
- Fragment Collection: Sieves or magnets recover particles; size distribution analysis (e.g., via sieving or image software) evaluates frangibility.
- Simulation: Forensic labs use standardized tests like the “frangible evaluation method,” firing into steel plates or gel to measure energy thresholds for breakup.
- Legal Considerations: Courts may require expert testimony on frangible-specific behaviors, as seen in training mishap cases where ricochet claims are refuted.
Frangible forensics underscores evolving ammunition technology’s impact on investigations. While they enhance training safety, their use in real incidents demands specialized protocols—e.g., updated FBI training modules on non-lead ammo. Awareness is crucial for medical examiners, as misidentifying a frangible wound could lead to underestimating lethality or mishandling evidence.
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