Rifle found, ‘person of interest’ sought in Kirk death
US authorities have released images of a person they are seeking over the killing of activist Charlie Kirk, as the president urges a non-violent response.
US investigators have released photos of a “college age” person of interest and found a bolt-action rifle as they hunt for the assassin who shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Details have emerged of the person’s movements when Kirk, 31, was killed by a single gunshot during his event at the Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday (US time).
Security-camera videos showed an armed individual climbing stairwells to get onto a roof before firing at Kirk, officials said.
Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck and triggered crowd panic.
The shooter jumped off the roof and fled into an adjoining neighbourhood, Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge, said on Thursday (US time).
Investigators found a “high-powered bolt-action” rifle in a nearby wooded area. It was being examining, along with palm prints and footprints.
You might like
The shooter appears to be of college age and “blended in well” on the campus, Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said. The grainy photos show the person wearing a black top, black sunglasses and a dark baseball cap. The shirt appears to have a patriotic print on the front showing the US flag and American eagle.
The Wall Street Journal reported messages related to transgender and anti-fascist ideology were engraved on the ammunition.
But people familiar with the investigation told Reuters it was still being analysed and it was too soon to draw conclusions.
The FBI appealed for public help in identifying the person of interest and offered a $US100,000 reward ($150,000) for information that led to the shooter.
Charlie Kirk held lively debates with students on campuses across the US. Photo: AAP
Kirk was giving a talk titled “Prove Me Wrong” outdoors in front of about 3000 people when he was shot.
Stay informed, daily
A podcast-radio commentator and ally of US President Donald Trump, Kirk is credited with helping build Republican support among younger American voters.
On Thursday, with classes cancelled, the roof of the building on the otherwise deserted campus and the nearby woods were strung with yellow tape as investigators scoured them for evidence.
Trump announced he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the US’s highest civilian honour.
Meanwhile, two men detained after the shooting have been released.
“There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,” an FBI statement said, and the manhunt was ongoing.
| Sponsored |
One of the two detainees, an older man seen in photos that circulated online shortly after the killing, was familiar to locals as a political “gadfly”, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Officials said university police had charged him with obstruction.
The shooting has punctuated the most sustained period of US political violence since the 1970s.
Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts across the ideological spectrum since supporters of Trump attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump himself has survived two attempts on his life, one that left him with a grazed ear during a campaign event in July 2024 and another two months later foiled by federal agents.
-with AAP
