The FBI has released an image of a “person of interest” in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, the agency revealed on Thursday morning.
The person in the picture appears to be a man. He can be seen wearing a cap and dark sunglasses while going up a staircase. He is wearing a dark shirt with blue jeans in the photo.
Law enforcement agencies said they had accessed video footage of the suspect and confirmed that he arrived on campus at 11:52 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
Suspect is 'college age,' FBI says
The FBI said it is offering a reward of up to US$100,000 for “information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
“We have images of the suspect,” FBI special agent in charge Robert Bohls told reporters in Utah on Thursday.
“Suspect blended in well with a college institution. We’re not releasing any details right now. We will soon, but right now, we’re not. That individual appears to be of college age,” he added.
“We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof, to a shooting location,” said Beau Mason, commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety.
“After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building and fled off of the campus and into a neighborhood,” he added.
Mason said Kirk’s body will be flown to his home in Arizona on Thursday.
Bohls said the FBI recovered a weapon on Thursday, suspected of being the one used in the killing.
“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon. Investigators have also collected footwear. Impression of palm print and forearm imprints for analysis,” he said.
Utah Valley University, where the incident took place, said the campus will be closed until Monday.
“UVU campus is ALL-CLEAR. There is NO ongoing threat to campus. We would remind you this is an ongoing investigation on campus and it remains closed until Monday, September 15,” the university said in a notice on its website.
Trump says 'we hope we get him'
Speaking at a service commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed roughly 3,000 people in the World Trade Centre, Trump said he would posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people. Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children. Fantastic people,” Trump said at the memorial service.
Speaking to reporters after leaving the event, Trump said law enforcement agencies were carrying out a “virtual manhunt.”
“They have a virtual manhunt out there, so we’ll see what happens. But we hope we get him,” he said.
Trump said Kirk was a “unique man.”
“You don’t replace a Charlie Kirk. He was unique, as you all know, as well as I do. He was a unique man. But we’ll do the best we can,” he said.
FBI detains, then releases suspects
On Wednesday, just hours after the incident, the FBI detained two suspects but later released them.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” FBI director Kash Patel announced in a social media post.
Trump announced Kirk’s death on social media and praised the 31-year-old co-founder and CEO of Turning Point as “Great, and even Legendary.”
Later, he released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom.”
Kirk was killed with a gunshot from a distant rooftop at the Utah Valley University campus, where he was speaking on Wednesday, authorities said.
Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.”
As the search stretched into a second day, they provided little information about the shooter’s identity, motive, location or evidence and were reviewing grainy security videos of a mysterious person in dark clothing.
“This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said. “I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.”
The circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum.
The killing drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”
A shot rings out, and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.
JD Vance to visit family
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, were set to visit with Kirk’s family on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
According to a person familiar with Vance’s plans but not authorized to speak about them publicly, the Vances will visit Utah instead of New York, which had been their planned destination for an outdoor ceremony to commemorate Sept. 11.
Vance posted a lengthy remembrance on X chronicling the origins of their friendship, dating back to initial messages in 2017, through Vance’s run for the Senate and ultimately praying after hearing of the shooting.
Through the years, Vance wrote, Kirk checked in and played a pivotal role in setting up the second Trump administration.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
–with files from Associated Press
More to come