NEW leads have emerged in the manhunt for the shooter who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials said on Thursday.
Investigators have found a gun, footprints, and “good video” of the suspect who assassinated Kirk, 31, in a targeted attack at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon, FBI officials said at a briefing.
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University on WednesdayShutterstock Editorial
APThe crowd at Kirk’s speaking event panicked and ran after Kirk was struck[/caption]
Clear footage shows the suspected shooter’s movements at Kirk’s speaking event at the college, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said
The gunman “appears to be of college age,” Mason said, adding that he “blended in well” with the college crowd.
The video shows the suspect arriving on the campus in Orem, Utah, at 11:52 am, investigators said.
He went through a building stairwell up onto a roof, and crossed the roof to get to the spot where he fired at Kirk, who was speaking to students in a Q&A, from about 200 yards away.
After the shooting, the suspect moved to the other side of the building, jumped from the roof, and ran off campus into a neighborhood.
“We are confident in our abilities to track that individual,” Mason said.
What we know so far:
Two people taken into custody were released, including an elderly man hauled from the scene in handcuffs
Videos of the scene show a dark-clad figure running on a roof
Kirk’s wife, Erika, and their two kids were in the audience when he was shot
Elon Musk blamed Democrats for the assassination
A South Park episode mocking Kirk was pulled from the air
Harrowing audio revealed the shooting’s chaotic aftermath
Trump said Kirk’s death is a ‘dark moment for America’
Mason said officials won’t release the video as they work to identify the gunman through facial recognition technology.
If the technology doesn’t identify the suspect, then officials plan to share his image publicly.
The “high-powered bolt-action rifle” used to kill Kirk was found wrapped in a towel in the nearby woods after the shooting, according to Robert Bohls, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City office.
Investigators also found evidence including a palm imprint, a forearm imprint, and a “footwear impression,” Bohls said.
The gunman is still on the loose as of Thursday morning.
Cops said the shooting was targeted, and the community isn’t at risk.
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
11:52 am MDT – The shooter, described as a college-age individual, arrives on campus before maneuvering onto a rooftop.
12:00 pm – Charlie Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.
4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.
4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released.
7:59 pm – Patel, the FBI director, confirmed a second subject taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.
September 11
7:15 am – Officials hold a press conference where they announce they have “good video” of the suspect and they recovered the “high-action bolt rifle” in the nearby woods.
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