For the latest update on Charlie Kirk’s assassination investigation, click here
The person responsible for shooting and killing conservative commentator Charlie Kirk remains at large. However, as law enforcement continues its search for the shooter, the FBI has released images of a person of interest in connection with Kirk’s assassination.
On Thursday evening, the Salt Lake City FBI posted additional photos of the person of interest.
The new photos come hours after the Salt Lake City FBI office shared the first photos of the person of interest, writing, “We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.”
In a separate post, the FBI announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the person or people responsible for Kirk’s death.
On Thursday evening, officials shared videos and stills of the person of interest.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the FBI has received more than 7,000 leads and tips related to the deadly shooting. Investigators have also conducted nearly 200 interviews.
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During a Thursday morning briefing, Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI, said agents recovered a rifle possibly used in the shooting, which took place during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University.
Authorities discover suspected assassination weapon
Officials believe the shooter used an older model Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle. Authorities said it was found wrapped in a towel near campus.
“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” Bohls said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, ammunition found inside the rifle was engraved with statements of “transgender and antifascist ideology.” The report did not go into detail about what was exactly written. They said there was one spent round still in the rifle and three unspent rounds in the rifle’s magazine. Investigators said the shooter had written messages on all four rounds.
However, officials later warned not to reach conclusions since the information was based on an early bulletin circulated to law enforcement officials. The Justice Department cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages and officials were still investigating the rounds.
Beau Mason, the Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner, added that the shooter arrived on campus at 11:52 a.m. He said they have since tracked their movements through stairwells and up to the rooftop location where the shot was fired.
The FBI said agents have also recovered a “footwear impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.”
The investigation continues
FBI Director Kash Patel said he and Deputy Director Dan Bongino are traveling to Utah to oversee the investigation. Patel previously announced agents arrested the “subject” in the shooting, but later said they released that person following an interrogation.
The agency also said it identified numerous people of interest, but they’ve since been cleared. However, even after having been cleared, they’ve faced threats.
“We asked the public to be patient with the investigative process,” Mason said, adding, “We ask that you do not impose into those people and that investigative process. They don’t deserve that harassment for being subject to that.”
The FBI is co-leading the investigation with its law enforcement partners, including local police. On Thursday, U.S. Marshals announced they would join the investigation to find the shooter.
“As soon as we heard about the shooting, special agents and personnel from the Salt Lake City Field Office responded immediately,” Bohls said. “We have full resources devoted to this investigation, including tactical, operational, investigative and intelligence.”
The agency has set up a tip line for the public to help in the investigation. During the Thursday press conference, Bohls said they had already received over 130 tips.
Kirk shooting
Kirk was assassinated while speaking with students during his “American Comeback Tour” organized by the organization Kirk founded, Turning Point USA.
Video of the shooting shows Kirk speaking to a student before a single gunshot can be heard. University officials said Kirk was hit by a single bullet fired from a nearby building about 200 yards away from where he was sitting.
Kirk could be seen slumping back with blood coming out of his neck.
A student at UVU, claiming to be the man Kirk was debating before he was shot, posted a video to TikTok. In the video, the student said killing those you disagree with was not the answer, and mentioned that he had a 1-year-old son, like Kirk did.
“You sick f—— psychos that think this is the answer — it’s not,” he said. “His 1-year-old boy will grow up without memories of his dad. It’s a tragedy.”
@staxioms Charlie Kirk
♬ original sound – hunter
Raydon Chene, a student who witnessed the shooting, described the scene to CBS News.
“There’s just blood pouring out everywhere. His eyes kind of rolled back. The crowd dropped to the ground,” Chene said. “They told us all to run, so we all ran out.”
School police immediately placed an evacuation order for all students and canceled classes until further notice.
Reaction to the shooting
Comments poured in from both sides of the aisle in reaction to the killing. President Donald Trump, along with former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, condemned the shooting.
According to NBC, during an address at the Pentagon commemorating 9/11, Trump announced he will award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
Vice President JD Vance landed in Utah on Air Force Two Thursday afternoon to return Kirk’s remains to Phoenix, Arizona, where Kirk lived. Vance posted a detailed eulogy of their relationship hours after the news broke that Kirk had passed.
On Thursday, Trump spoke to reporters at the White House and said he believed Kirk’s funeral would take place next weekend. He said he would likely attend.
“They’ve asked me to go, and I think I have an obligation to be there,” he said.
Earlier Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the State Department will be taking action against foreigners who praise, rationalize or make light of Kirk’s death.
“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said in a post on X.
He said he’s “directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”
The governor of Utah also reacted.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable,” Gov. Spencer Cox said on X. “Violence has no place in our public life.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed those sentiments.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom said on X.
On Thursday afternoon, staff at The Charlie Kirk Show, the radio show he hosted, posted on his X profile, calling him a “martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored.”
“Every one of us at Turning Point USA is crushed and devastated by the hateful murder of our founder and guiding light, Charlie Kirk,” the post read. “Above all, our hearts are with Erika and their two children.”
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk, who lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife and children, was a big figure in conservative media. He was one of Trump’s close allies, and not just the founder but also the CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics in high schools and colleges.
He co-founded the nonprofit in 2012, when he was 18. It now has groups in more than 850 colleges.
At the time of his death, Kirk was kicking off a multi-campus Turning Point tour in which he asked attendees to debate him on certain issues.
