The FBI and local authorities faced questions Thursday after Provo Airport remained open in the hours following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, while flight-tracking data showed a private jet departing the regional field shortly after the attack.
Officials said a manhunt remained underway for the shooter, who authorities believe fired from the roof of the Losee Center during a Wednesday speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Investigators recovered a high-powered bolt-action rifle from a nearby wooded area the next morning, and law enforcement said the gunman fled on foot after the shooting.
Flight-tracking records reviewed by media outlets show a private jet left Provo Airport shortly after 2 p.m., headed south toward the Arizona border, disappeared from radar for a period and then reappeared before returning to Provo roughly an hour after departing. FAA registration information published by one outlet listed the jet's owner in Lehi, Utah. Social media users noted the timing of the departure and raised questions about whether the aircraft could have been used in an escape; authorities have not publicly linked the aircraft to the shooting.
Witnesses described the shooter as wearing all black and aviator-style sunglasses. Kirk, 31, was speaking at the university and had just finished responding to a question on gun violence when a single shot rang out. He was transported to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead.
Authorities said the rooftop from which the shot was fired was about 200 yards from the debate area. University police reported having six officers at the scene and were working with Kirk's personal security. First responders and investigators continued to search the area, and the FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety issued a joint statement saying there were no current ties between the shooting and two individuals taken into custody in the immediate aftermath.
A 71-year-old man, later identified as George Zinn, was among those initially detained after witnesses reported someone claiming responsibility. Law enforcement later said neither he nor another person briefly held were connected to the shooting.
Retired FBI agent James Gagliano, speaking on Fox News on Thursday morning, said the attack appeared to involve pre-planning and suggested the possibility the shooter could have used nearby transport options, including the regional airport, to flee. "Was there pre-planning? Absolutely," Gagliano said. "If you come off that roof, there is an open air parking lot behind that building, it is spitting distance from I-15. This is a big concern because this person, between three to five minutes of that shot going off, could have been in a vehicle on his way out, and miles and miles away."
Provo Airport serves domestic flights and is a short drive from Utah Valley University. Authorities did not say why the airport remained open as the manhunt unfolded. Federal and local investigators have declined to publicly discuss operational details of the search for the shooter.
President Donald Trump announced Kirk's death on social media and ordered that American flags be lowered to half-staff until Sunday evening at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. Utah Valley University canceled classes through Monday and officials said campus safety measures would remain in place while investigators continued to work in the area.
Investigators recovered the rifle from a wooded area near the Losee Center on Thursday, and officers continued to conduct door-to-door inquiries and review security footage and other evidence as the search for the gunman continued. The FBI and Utah law enforcement agencies urged anyone with information to come forward as the investigation proceeds.