A New Jersey nurse claims she was suspended for confronting a surgeon who allegedly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination, declaring he ‘had it coming.’
The 31-year-old conservative activist was shot in the neck during a debate with a student about mass shootings on Wednesday, with horrifying footage showing him recoil from the impact before he was later pronounced dead.
Lexi Kuenzle, a 33-year-old healthcare worker at Englewood Health, said that the news broke while she stood by the nurse’s station, surrounded by eight other nurses and a patient resting on a stretcher, according to The New York Post.
Shocked, Kuenzle exclaimed, ‘Oh my God! That’s terrible! I love him!’
But what general surgeon Dr. Matthew Jung said next may have shocked the Hoboken resident even more.
In response, Jung allegedly proclaimed: ‘I hate Charlie Kirk. He had it coming. He deserved it.’
She recalled reminding the surgeon that he was a medical professional – and questioning how he could say someone deserved to die.
‘It’s mind-blowing to me,’ Kuenzle told The Post on Saturday. ‘I was so angry and upset.’
Lexi Kuenzle (pictured), a 33-year-old nurse at Englewood Health in New Jersey, claimed that she was fired for confronting a surgeon who allegedly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination, declaring he ‘had it coming’
The 31-year-old conservative activist (pictured) was shot in the neck during a debate with a student about mass shootings on Wednesday, with horrifying footage showing him recoil from the impact before he was later pronounced dead
Kuenzle said that the news broke while she stood by the nurse’s station, surrounded by eight other nurses and a patient resting on a stretcher (pictured: Englewood Health Hospital in NJ)
Kuenzle (pictured) said that after she called the news ‘terrible,’ general surgeon Dr. Matthew Jung allegedly responded: ‘I hate Charlie Kirk. He had it coming. He deserved it’
The nurse said she immediately reported Jung to hospital management, then went home and shared the incident on social media.
‘This “DOCTOR” is a disgrace. Had the audacity to say “I’m glad, he deserved it” in front of a PATIENT/nursing station in regards to Charlie Kirk being murdered today,’ Kuenzle wrote on a post shared to her Instagram Story.
‘You are what’s wrong with the world. Offered to “buy the department lunch” as an apology,’ she added.
‘You are SICK and I’m not gonna sit back and hear it. His patients deserve to know what kind of compassion he truly lacks for human life.’
The very next day, the avid conservative said she was called into a meeting with HR, where she was informed she’d be suspended without pay pending an investigation into the incident with Jung – a process they described as standard procedure.
In an email she later shared to her Instagram story – allegedly from her union rep – they appeared to suggest she start looking for another job.
‘I am sure you recognize the seriousness of the current situation,’ the email read. ‘The posting with the EH affiliation and the disagreement in front of an awake patient are at the heart of this extremely serious matter.’
‘I have to advise you that this may lead to termination,’ the email added.
The nurse said she immediately reported Jung to hospital management, then went home and shared the incident on social media (pictured)
The very next day, the avid conservative (pictured) said she was called into a meeting with HR, where she was informed she’d be suspended without pay pending an investigation into the incident with Jung – a process they described as standard procedure
In an email she later shared to her Instagram story – allegedly from her union rep – they appeared to suggest she start looking for another job (pictured)
On Friday, Kuenzle (pictured) filed a lawsuit in Bergen County Superior Court against both the hospital and Dr. Jung, claiming she was wrongfully fired for speaking out about the doctor’s comments on her personal Instagram account
‘Do you have other employment? If not, I would strongly suggest that you start looking for another RN job.’
On Friday, Kuenzle – a nurse for 10 years, including nearly two at Englewood – filed a lawsuit in Bergen County Superior Court against both the hospital and Dr. Jung, according to the outlet.
In the filing, she claimed she was wrongfully fired for speaking out about the doctor’s comments on her personal Instagram account – which also includes photos of her posing with a cardboard cutout of President Donald Trump.
‘Kuenzle had the audacity to question how Dr. Jung can comply with the Hippocratic Oath’s and the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics while celebrating the murder of a non-violent Christian speaker who was on a college campus,’ the docs stated, according to The Post.
The suit also claimed that Jung did offer to ‘buy lunch’ for the nurses who overheard, but if he ‘were to follow through on his “mocking” offer, it would not have included plaintiff because she had been suspended without pay.’
Kuenzle is now seeking unspecified damages, while it remains unclear whether Jung faced any disciplinary action for his remarks.
Kirk, a father-of-two, was gunned down as he answered a question about transgender gun violence in front of a 3,000-strong crowd at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Washington, Utah, and former student at UtahState University, was arrested Thursday night following a tip-off from his family members.
Trump said he now wants to see the killer get the death penalty for the assassination of the man he described as the ‘finest person.’
Englewood Health did not immediately respond to Daily Mail’s request for comment.
