OREM, Utah. U.S. investigators on Thursday released images of a person of interest in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and confirmed they had recovered the rifle believed to have been used in the attack.
Kirk, 31, co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Wednesday while speaking to thousands of students at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. The shooting occurred as Kirk answered a question on mass shootings during a campus debate titled Prove Me Wrong.
Security footage showed an individual climbing stairwells to reach a rooftop before firing the fatal shot. Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge, said the suspect then jumped from the roof and fled into a nearby neighborhood.
Investigators recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle in a wooded area close to the campus and are examining palm prints, footprints, and other evidence. Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the shooter “appears to be of college age and blended in well on campus.”
Officials circulated grainy surveillance images of a “person of interest” wearing a black long-sleeved top emblazoned with an eagle and U.S. flag, along with dark sunglasses and a baseball cap. The FBI announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Authorities have not released a motive, though speculation spread rapidly online. Ammunition recovered at the scene reportedly bore engraved messages, which remain under analysis.
Kirk’s killing sparked bipartisan condemnation of political violence. U.S. President Donald Trump, who called the shooting a “heinous assassination,” announced he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “Charlie Kirk was a great person, a great man — great in every way, especially with youth,” Trump told reporters. “Hopefully we’ll have [the suspect] and we will deal with him very appropriately.”
Vice President JD Vance, a close friend of Kirk, canceled his Sept. 11 commemorations in New York to accompany Kirk’s family in Utah. He later flew them and Kirk’s casket to Arizona aboard Air Force Two. In a tribute posted on social media, Vance wrote: “So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene. He didn’t just help us win in 2024; he helped us staff the entire government.”
Kirk, married and the father of two young children, was a prominent figure in right-wing politics. A vocal ally of Trump, he built a large following through his writings, podcasts, and campus tours, often promoting conservative stances on race, gender, immigration, religion, and gun rights. His organization, Turning Point USA, said he believed in “the power of argument and good-faith debate,” noting he had received thousands of threats in recent years.
The killing comes amid what experts describe as the most sustained wave of political violence in the U.S. since the 1970s. Since January 6, 2021, Reuters has documented more than 300 politically motivated violent acts nationwide. Trump himself has survived two assassination attempts in the past year.
FBI Director Kash Patel was expected to provide further updates during a visit to Orem. Meanwhile, investigators continue to analyze evidence as the search for the shooter intensifies.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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