Authorities announced a $100,000 reward and released images of a person of interest on Thursday as they continued an urgent manhunt for the shooter who fatally struck conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a university campus earlier this week.
Kirk, 31, was shot once while speaking in a courtyard at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday after an alleged sniper fired from a rooftop about 142 yards away, law enforcement officials said. Investigators said the suspect appeared to have fled the campus amid a panicked crowd after the shooting.
State and federal authorities said detectives recovered what they described as a "high-powered bolt action rifle" — reported by officials to be an imported .30-calibre Mauser — wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the UVU campus. A preliminary Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives report, cited by the Wall Street Journal, said the rifle bore ammunition engraved with statements described as "transgender and anti-fascist." A senior law enforcement official subsequently told the New York Times that those engravings may have been misread and had not been verified by FBI analysts; officials said the markings did not align with other evidence collected.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators had "good video footage" of the suspect and were able to track his movements from the time he arrived on campus at about 11:52 a.m., roughly 30 minutes before the shooting. Authorities released grainy surveillance images showing a man in a stairwell wearing a baseball cap, dark sunglasses and a dark shirt bearing an American flag and an eagle graphic. The individual is being treated as a person of interest as the search continues.
Law enforcement called off a scheduled press conference on Thursday, citing "rapid developments in our investigation." The FBI said it had received at least 130 pieces of information about the shooting and urged residents near the campus to review private surveillance systems for any footage that could assist the probe. Officials have not publicly identified a suspect in custody.
The killing prompted an immediate and wide response from political figures and the conservative movement with which Kirk was closely associated. Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded, said in a statement from his official account that "all of us have lost a leader, a mentor and a friend." The organization described Kirk as a prominent organizer who had helped build the conservative movement on college campuses.
President Donald Trump pledged to posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Utah to meet Kirk's family. Law enforcement said Kirk's body will be flown to his home state of Arizona on Air Force Two. The travel plans raised the profile of the investigation and drew national attention amid ongoing political debate about political violence.
Family members and associates described the personal toll. Colleagues said Kirk's widow, Erika, who won Miss Arizona USA in 2012, is grappling with how to tell their two children. Jack Posobiec, a contributor to Turning Point USA, called Erika "unbelievably strong" and said the family relied on their faith.
The shooting generated graphic footage that circulated online. TikTok said it would remove videos showing Kirk being struck in the neck, following a request from Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. Social platforms were under pressure to limit distribution of the material, which officials and family members said caused additional trauma.
The shooting also prompted moments of confusion from federal officials. The timeline of public comments included a post widely attributed to FBI Director Kash Patel that said a suspect was in custody; officials later walked back that claim, saying an individual had been detained and then released after further investigation. Law enforcement advisers characterized the episode as a result of rapidly evolving details in the probe.
Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA as a teenager and built a large social media following, was a familiar figure in conservative circles and an occasional source of controversy. He frequently visited college campuses to engage students with a "prove me wrong" table and had been a campaign aide and ally to senior Republican figures. His critics noted past remarks that drew backlash, including comments about women and questions about the professional qualifications of a pilot.
Investigators have described the shooter as appearing to be "of college age." Authorities said the person of interest was captured on campus footage and that the suspected firing position was on the roof of a building that overlooks the courtyard where Kirk was speaking. Officials continue to appeal for tips and information from the public, offering the reward to accelerate leads.
The investigation remains active, with state and federal agencies coordinating searches and evidence processing. Officials urged anyone with information, including those who may have captured images or video on personal devices near the UVU area around the time of the shooting, to contact investigators.
As law enforcement works to corroborate evidence and identify a suspect, political leaders called for calm and for the inquiry to proceed without politicization. Utah authorities said they would provide updates as new verified information becomes available.