Authorities investigating the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk released images Thursday showing spent bullet casings on a rooftop and other evidence consistent with a shooter firing from a perch roughly 200 yards from the site where Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University.
The images, released by law enforcement, show a rooftop on the Losee Building that officials said contained bullet casings and a ladder propped against the side of the structure. Officials said the shooter is believed to have fired a precise shot into Kirk’s neck from the roof and then jumped from the building before disappearing into a nearby neighborhood.
Investigators recovered a Mauser .30-caliber bolt-action rifle in a nearby woodland area, hidden in a towel, authorities said. A spent cartridge casing consistent with the recovered rifle was found at the rooftop location, and three additional rounds were located in the rifle’s magazine. The firearm and the ammunition were being transported to a federal laboratory for forensic analysis, officials said.
Authorities also released still images of a person of interest and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The person of interest was seen in video footage wearing a black T-shirt bearing an American flag and a bald eagle with the words “Land of the Free.... Home of the Brave,” according to authorities.
In an update Thursday morning, officials said investigators had found engravings they described as referencing transgender and antifascist ideology. A press conference that had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon was canceled less than an hour before it was to begin, with the Utah Department of Public Safety citing “rapid developments in our investigation.”
The shooting occurred midday Wednesday as Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator, addressed students at an event on the Orem, Utah, campus. About 3,000 people were attending the event when the shot was fired, according to law enforcement statements. Kirk died at the scene.
Two people were initially detained in the immediate aftermath of the shooting but were later released and were not believed to have fired the shot that killed Kirk, officials said.
Speaking to CNN, former FBI counterterrorism agent Tim Clemente said a shooter with moderate training could have made the shot from about 200 yards. “It’s not a spectacular shot,” he said. “I was actually training snipers (Wednesday) morning ... and they were taking shots out 500, 600 yards routinely. So 200 yards isn’t a terrible distance. But you need to know how to aim and control your trigger pull.”
The killing prompted national condemnation and intensified security concerns around political events. Vice President J.D. Vance traveled to Utah to meet Kirk’s family and offered to have his casket transported aboard Air Force Two, the White House said. Former President Donald J. Trump posted on his social platform that Kirk was dead and extended condolences to Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve, and their two young children.
Law enforcement officials urged anyone with information to contact investigators and said they were following multiple leads. The investigation remains active, and federal and local authorities said they were coordinating on forensic testing and the broader manhunt.
Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect, and they cautioned against speculation as forensic testing and witness interviews continue. The image of the person of interest and the $100,000 reward are intended to generate tips from the public as investigators work to develop a clearer timeline and motive.
Kirk, 32, leaves behind his wife and two young children, officials and family members said. Funeral arrangements had not been announced Thursday. The investigation and manhunt are ongoing.