A retired FBI official told television viewers Thursday that the gunman who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University appeared to choose a rooftop position that would allow a rapid escape, potentially covering “miles and miles” within minutes.
James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervising agent, said the shooter fired a single fatal round from the top of the Losee Center Building at the Orem, Utah, campus on Wednesday, roughly 200 yards from where Kirk was seated in a pop-up tent addressing about 3,000 people. Kirk, 31, was struck in the throat, collapsed as attendees fled and later died at a local hospital, authorities said. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Gagliano said drone footage shows an open-air parking lot behind the building that could have given the shooter quick vehicle access to local roads. “If you come off that roof — and I’ve seen the drone footage of this — there’s an open-air parking lot behind that building,” he said on the Fox & Friends program. “This person, within three to five minutes of that shot going off, that person could have been in a vehicle on his way out and miles and miles away.”
He added that Provo Airport is about 45 minutes from the scene and suggested the attacker could have left Utah quickly. Gagliano said he did not view the killing as a "professional hit" but called it “absolutely” pre-planned, noting that the shot was taken from roughly 500 feet — just under 200 yards — a distance he said would be manageable with a scoped rifle.
Law enforcement authorities conducted an extensive response to the shooting, detaining two different persons of interest in the chaos after the attack; both were later released, police said. A massive manhunt for the shooter remained underway early Thursday, and Gagliano said he expected law enforcement to have a suspect in custody by the end of the day.
Investigators have not publicly confirmed the gunman’s identity, motive or whether additional suspects were involved. Officials have also not confirmed details about the shooter’s exit route or whether a vehicle was used. Local police asked anyone with information or footage from the event to come forward to assist the investigation.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA and rose to prominence as a conservative and pro-Trump organizer, a frequent presence on the national right-wing circuit. He had been speaking at the Utah Valley University event on Sept. 10 when he was shot. The killing has drawn swift attention from political leaders and prompted renewed discussions about security at public political events.
Authorities continue to manage the investigation, examine forensic evidence and interview witnesses as they work to locate the shooter and determine the full circumstances surrounding the killing.