Investigators seek help finding Charlie Kirk's killer as new video, photos shared

Manhunt for Charlie Kirk surmise continues piece supporters mourn

The crap-shooter who assassinated right-wing  activistic Charlie Kirk and then vanished after dropping down off a roof and running into the woods remained at large more than 24 hours later Thursday as federal investigators appealed for the public's help by releasing photos of the person they believe is responsible.

Investigators 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 had yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing they were treating as the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States across the ideological spectrum.

The photos of a person in a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeve black shirt, with a backpack, as well as a $100,000 US reward for information leading to an arrest suggested that law enforcement thought tips from the public might be needed to crack the case.

Two people who were taken into custody shortly after Wednesday's shooting at Utah Valley University were later released, forcing officials to chase new leads on a separate person of interest they pursued Thursday.

Officials provide update on investigation into fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk

During a news conference Thursday with FBI Director Kash Patel, authorities showed a video of the suspected shooter racing across the roof of the building where the shot was fired, dropping down to the ground and fleeing into the woods.

In the process, officials say, the shooter left behind imprints, including a palm print, that investigators hope can yield clues to their identity.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox pleaded for the public's help in the search for the shooter.

"We have people all over the country trying to bring this perpetrator to justice," he said, adding that the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips.

He said they're getting everything in order to pursue the death penalty.

The direct appeals for public support at the nighttime news conference, including new and enhanced photos, appeared to signal law enforcement's continued struggles a day and a half into the search to identify the shooter and pinpoint the person's whereabouts.

Authorities didn't take questions, and Patel did not speak at the news conference.

One clue in the investigation was a Mauser .30-calibre, bolt-action rifle found in a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three other rounds were loaded in the magazine, according to information circulated among law enforcement and described to The Associated Press. The weapon and ammunition were being analyzed by law enforcement at a federal lab.

The attack, carried out in a broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues from a university courtyard, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media.

The videos show Kirk, who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out. 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.

The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a "college-age" appearance, fired a single shot from the rooftop where they were perched before jumping off.

"I can tell you this was a targeted event," said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the U.S., a day after calling him a "martyr for truth and freedom."

He later said he was "hopeful" investigators were making progress in their search for the person he described as a "sniper."

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, arrived Thursday afternoon in Salt Lake City to visit with Kirk's family. Vance posted a remembrance on X chronicling their friendship, dating back to initial messages in 2017, through Vance's Senate run and the 2024 election.

Charlie Kirk shot dead while speaking at Utah university

"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."

Kirk's casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, where his non-profit political youth organization, Turning Point USA, is based. Trump told reporters he plans to attend Kirk's funeral. Details have not been announced.

It is somewhat unusual, especially in an age of personal cellphones and abundant surveillance cameras, for a suspect in a public shooting of a notable figure in the U.S. To remain a fugitive for more than a day. 

The manhunt for James Earl Ray — convicted in Martin Luther King's 1968 killing — was an exception, spanning two months and four countries other than the U.S., including Canada.

Kirk personified the pugnacious, populist conservatism that has taken over the Republican Party in the age of Trump. Kirk launched Turning Point USA in 2012, targeting younger people and venturing onto liberal-leaning college campuses where many Republican Party activists were nervous to tread.

Kirk identified as a Christian conservative and was an unabashed supporter of expansive gun-owning rights. He often made statements that his critics said were racist, homophobic or transphobic.

Utah Valley is also just a few kilometres away from Brigham Young University, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church.

Utah is one of 14 states that allow some level of concealed carry of firearms on public college and university campuses, and the first to do so. 

The circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the U.S. That, in the last several years, has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.

Videos appear to show Charlie Kirk’s shooter on university roof

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