What we know about the shooting of Charlie Kirk
- Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk died Wednesday after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University. He was speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” debate, where he invites students to challenge his political and cultural views.
- Authorities shared a video late Thursday of the suspect climbing down from a roof following the shooting, after sharing images throughout the day of a “person of interest” and asking the public for help in identifying the individual. A law enforcement official said investigators have “good video footage” of the suspect and had recovered the weapon used in the shooting.
- Kirk’s body returned to his home state of Arizona on Vice President JD Vance’s plane Thursday.
- President Trump paid tribute to Kirk, and elected officials on both sides of the aisle swiftly condemned the attack and denounced acts of political violence.
- Earlier Thursday, three sources told CBS News federal law enforcement investigators believed they had the name of a person of interest in the case. But late Thursday night, the same sources told CBS News that lead has not panned out.
Military leaders warn about some social media posts on Kirk killing
Military leaders are warning troops and Defense Department civilians about some social media posts on the Kirk shooting.
Thursday evening, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X that, “It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American. The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.” Soon after, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added in a post on X that, “We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable.”
Two hours later, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll posted a similar admonition on X saying, “Posts that celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American are inconsistent with Army values. Full stop.” Navy Secretary John Phelan took to X to say he is “aware of posts displaying contempt toward a fellow American who was assassinated. I want to be very clear: any uniformed or civilian employee of the Department of the Navy who acts in a manner that brings discredit upon the Department, the (Navy) or the (Marines) will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.” And Air Force Secretary Troy Meink stressed on X that “The Department of the Air Force is aware of inappropriate comments concerning recent political violence. This behavior is unacceptable and contrary to our core values. Airmen and Guardians are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and conduct at all times.”
The warnings drew praise and pushback from commenters.
Manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s shooter: What we know on day two
Investigators have released photographs and video footage of suspect, are calling on the public to help identify him.
More than 30 hours after a fatal shooting that has shaken the United States, the federal manhunt for US conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killer is intensifying.
Kirk, the 31-year-old author and podcast host who helped to revitalise the conservative youth vote and return US President Donald Trump to the White House, died shortly after being rushed to hospital on Wednesday with a gunshot wound to his neck..
On Thursday, authorities released photographs and video footage showing a “person of interest” racing across a university rooftop from which the fatal shot is believed to have been fired. The suspect has not yet been identified.
Here is what we know about the latest in the investigation and Kirk’s killing:
What do we know about where the killer is now?
The suspect, who fatally wounded Kirk with a single gunshot while he was speaking to a crowd of more than 3,000 people at an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday, remains at large. Authorities have also not speculated about any motive behind the shooting.
Police and federal investigators have asked the public to help identify the suspect. Video footage and images of the man have been circulated.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said investigators had completed more than 200 interviews and asked the public to keep sending photos and videos to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He added that investigators had received about 7,000 tips from the general public.
“We need as much help as we can possibly get,” he told a news conference on Thursday night, alongside FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino. “We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now.”
Authorities also said they found a palm print on the rooftop, a shoe impression and a hunting rifle in nearby woods where it is believed that the attacker fled.
What details have been released about the suspect?
Utah’s Department of Public Safety released several photographs of a white man wearing Converse trainers, jeans, a long-sleeved black T-shirt with a US flag and eagle on it, and a black baseball cap with a triangle.
Surveillance footage released at the news conference shows the man fleeing across a university rooftop about 120 metres (400ft) from where Kirk was speaking, before dropping down to the ground and running along the edge of the campus car park, across the road and into nearby woods, leaving behind palm and shoe prints which are now being analysed.
What do we know about the weapon used to kill Kirk?
Investigators said they had recovered a bolt-action rifle in the nearby woodland, which they believe to have been used in the shooting.
FBI special agent Robert Bohls described the weapon as “a high-powered, bolt-action rifle”. According to US media outlets citing sources, it is an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle.
Unlike semi-automatic guns, bolt-action rifles have a slower rate of fire but are valued for their precision. Bohls said the weapon is currently undergoing analysis at an FBI laboratory for possible evidence.
The rifle and three unfired rounds of ammunition inside it were reported to be engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, quoting a person familiar with the investigation and an internal law enforcement bulletin.
What else are investigators doing to find the shooter?
On Thursday, the FBI announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person, or people, responsible for the fatal shooting of Kirk.
Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox, who has pledged to pursue the death penalty when the attacker is found and tried, said the FBI has so far received 7,000 tips and leads.
Charlie Kirk shooting: new video of suspect released by FBI amid urgent appeal for help from the public
FBI reward of $100,000 and direct appeals for public support appear to signal law enforcement’s continued struggles to identify the killer of Trump ally
US officials have issued an urgent appeal for help from the public as they continue to search for the shooter of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, releasing new videos and photos from the scene of the attack in Utah.
More than 24 hours after Kirk was shot while speaking in front of thousands of people at a Utah university, the state’s governor, appearing alongside FBI director Kash Patel and other officials, said “we need as much help as we can possibly get.”
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox said, adding that the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips so far.
The newly released video showed a person wearing a hat, sunglasses and a long sleeve black shirt running across a roof, climbing off the edge of the building and dropping to the ground. The suspect is believed to have fled into the local neighbourhood after firing the one shot and has not yet been identified.
Investigators said they had obtained clues, including a palm print, a shoe impression and a high-powered hunting rifle found in a wooded area along the path the shooter fled. But they were yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing.
The direct appeals for public support at the night-time news conference, appeared to signal law enforcement’s continued struggles to identify the shooter and pinpoint the person’s whereabouts. Authorities didn’t take questions, and Patel did not speak at the news conference. The FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person.
The death of Kirk – a close ally of President Donald Trump – has drawn renewed attention to the escalating threat of political violence in the United States which, in the last several years, has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation from political leaders.
In appealing for information, Cox said on Thursday, “there is a tremendous amount of disinformation” online.
“Our adversaries want violence,” Cox said. “We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world that are trying to instil disinformation and encourage violence. I would encourage you to ignore those, to turn off those streams.”
Cox also pledged to find the killer and pursue the death penalty.
Kirk’s casket arrived in his home state of Arizona aboard Air Force Two, accompanied by vice-president JD Vance. Vance’s wife, Usha, stepped off the plane with Kirk’s widow, Erika.
Vance helped carry Kirk’s casket with a group of uniformed service members as it was loaded on to the plane. Kirk’s conservative youth organisation, Turning Point USA, was based in Phoenix.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote on social media, referencing Kirk’s role in getting Donald Trump elected last year. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
Kirk was a provocateur and a divisive figure who is credited with helping bring young people, especially men, into the US president’s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement.
In a statement on Thursday, TPUSA wrote: “All of us have lost a leader, a mentor, and a friend. Above all, our hearts are with Erika and their two children. Charlie was the ideal husband and the perfect father. Above all else, we ask you to pray for the Kirks after the incomprehensible loss they have suffered.”
Kirk’s killing drew bipartisan condemnation of the rise in political violence in the US.
Trump, who said he would award the Medal of Freedom posthumously to Kirk, spoke to Kirk’s wife on Thursday.
He said that authorities were making “big progress” towards tracking down the suspect and that in regards to a motive, he has an “indication … but we’ll let you know about that later”.
Just hours after Kirk had been declared dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital on Wednesday, Trump delivered a video message from the Oval Office, vowing to track down the suspect.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it,” Trump said.
One day after his inflammatory address, blaming “the radical left” for Kirk’s death, Trump appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone, agreeing with a suggestion from a reporter that his supporters should not respond with violence.
The White House quickly posted the exchange on social media, perhaps hoping to tamp down anger that has already spilled into violence, with the beating of a critic of Kirk in Boise, Idaho, during a vigil on Wednesday night.
Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska who is retiring after this term, told NBC News that he wished Trump would unite the country after the shooting, “but he’s a populist, and populists dwell on anger”.
“I have to remind people, we had Democrats killed in Minnesota too, right?” Bacon added, in reference to the murder of Minnesota’s former house speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in June by a gunman with a hitlist of 45 people, all Democrats.
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