Vice President J.D. Vance stood at the head of a military pallbearer team Thursday as the mahogany casket of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was carried from a hearse and loaded onto Air Force Two at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base in Salt Lake City.
Vance led National Guard members up the steps of the aircraft as Kirk’s grieving wife, two young children and his parents watched. The coffin and Kirk’s immediate family were scheduled to be flown to his home state of Arizona on the vice-presidential aircraft. A funeral for Kirk is planned for next week, and President Donald Trump said he will attend.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon while engaging with students and community members at Utah Valley University, law enforcement officials said. Federal and local authorities have described the attack as a single gunman firing from an elevated position roughly 200 yards from the crowd. Witnesses at the scene reported screaming and people running for cover, and surveillance footage released by investigators showed a figure on the roof of the Lossee Center on campus.
The FBI has released images of a person of interest and is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible, officials said. Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators believe the person of interest appears to be of college age and "blended in well with the college institution," but he declined to release further identifying details.
Authorities said earlier that they had recovered a high-powered rifle in nearby woods and retrieved spent and unspent cartridges. A memo described to The Wall Street Journal by law enforcement says investigators recovered a Mauser rifle that had been wrapped in a towel and that the weapon and some cartridges bore messages and markings the memo characterized as referencing transgender and antifascist ideology. The exact wording of those messages has not been disclosed.
Investigators continued to comb neighborhoods near the university on Thursday as federal agents and local police pursued leads. The ATF and FBI are participating in the probe, officials said, and searches remained active as authorities sought to confirm the identity and motive of the shooter.
Friends and allies of Kirk paid public tributes as the investigation unfolded. Vance wrote on X that Kirk was a "true friend" and a "great family man," and said he had helped Vance advance his political career after they developed a friendship beginning in 2017. President Trump, in comments on social media and in an Oval Office address, called Kirk a patriot who "devoted his life to the cause of open debate" and blamed what he described as "radical left" rhetoric for creating a climate that can lead to violence.
Kirk co-founded the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA in 2012 and rose to prominence as a commentator and organizer within conservative circles. He is survived by his wife, Erika (Frantzve) Kirk, their three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted his state retains the death penalty as officials outlined the resources being used in the investigation. Federal officials asked anyone with information about the shooting or the person pictured in released images to contact the FBI.
Authorities have urged the public not to approach anyone who matches the released images and to report tips through official law enforcement channels as the search and investigation continue.