Federal authorities on Thursday released images of a “person of interest” linked to the killing of conservative commentator and political activist Charlie Kirk, as a multi-agency manhunt intensifies.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking to students at Utah Valley University, in an incident Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned as a “political assassination.”
In a statement on social media, the Salt Lake City branch of the FBI said: “We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.”
Law enforcement officials confirmed that Kirk was struck by a single sniper’s bullet while responding to a student’s question during a packed event attended by approximately 3,000 people.
The question addressed gun violence in the United States. “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America in the last 10 years?” one attendee asked. Kirk replied, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” before collapsing from a gunshot wound to the neck.
Investigators believe the shot came from a sniper’s position on a rooftop within the university campus.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the suspect remains “at large” and described the figure captured on surveillance footage as wearing dark clothing.
Two individuals were briefly taken into custody during the initial investigation but were released after authorities determined they had no connection to the shooting.
According to The Wall Street Journal, investigators recovered ammunition from the suspected firearm bearing inscriptions referencing “transgender and antifascist ideology.”
The rifle, believed to be the weapon used in the attack, contained three additional unfired rounds marked with similar messaging.
Kirk, who was the co-founder and president of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
His death triggered widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. Governor Cox stated, “When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened.”
Former President Donald Trump has since announced plans to award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
