A candlelight vigil outside the Idaho statehouse for Charlie Kirk devolved into a physical confrontation on Wednesday after a man riding an e-bike drove past the gathering and shouted an expletive at the slain conservative activist.
Eyewitness video published by KIVI-TV shows attendees knocking the man to the sidewalk, where he curled into a ball and was struck and kicked as members of the crowd repeatedly chanted “U-S-A.” Bystanders and a woman pleading for the group to stop are audible in the footage. Boise Police officers stationed nearby intervened, pulling the man away from the crowd and taking someone into custody; it was not immediately clear whether any charges had been filed.
The vigil was held after Kirk, 31, was shot on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and later died of his injuries, law enforcement officials said. The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office on Thursday released surveillance photographs of a person of interest in the shooting and has asked the public for assistance in identifying the individual.
Authorities said the shooting appeared to be targeted. Investigators believe the gunman opened fire from the roof of the Losee Center at the campus and was seen running away moments after the shots were fired. Police radio recordings and investigators’ descriptions suggest the suspect may have fled on a motorbike, was dressed in black with a black mask and sunglasses, and carried a long rifle. The FBI said it recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle from a wooded area near the campus; law enforcement sources told The Wall Street Journal that ammunition recovered with the weapon bore engraved messages, which the newspaper reported included transgender and anti-fascist inscriptions. Investigators also reported finding footwear impressions, a palm print and forearm imprints at the scene and are reviewing video footage of the person they believe was responsible.
Two people detained on Wednesday were released after investigators determined they were not connected to the shooting, officials said. Nearly 24 hours after the attack, the shooter’s identity, motive and whereabouts remained unknown, though authorities said they had tracked movements on campus in the run-up to the killing.
At the Boise vigil, tensions rose quickly after the passing protester shouted at mourners and continued to antagonize the group even after being removed from the center of the gathering. A mourner shouted back, asking what had happened to dialogue and discourse. Vigil attendee Dylan Anson, who said he helped break up the altercation, condemned the violence and said Kirk would not have supported it, adding, “as Christians, we do not support violence.”
Kirk was a prominent conservative activist and the founder of Turning Point USA, and his death prompted rapid responses from national figures. Former President Donald Trump said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vice President J.D. Vance posted a remembrance on X and planned to visit Kirk’s family in Salt Lake City. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox vowed to hold the shooter accountable and noted that the state retains the death penalty.
The shooting, captured on video and widely circulated on social media, drew bipartisan condemnation and renewed questions about preventing politically motivated violence. Federal and local law enforcement agencies said they are continuing an active manhunt and urged anyone with information about the person of interest to contact the FBI.