A Utah Valley University student told investigators he saw a man walking on or near the roof of the Losee Center twice in the weeks before conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot there, and reported the sightings to the FBI after the attack, the student and state officials said.
The unnamed student, who spoke to CNN, said the final sighting occurred at about noon on the Wednesday six days before Kirk was killed during an outdoor event at the Losee Center courtyard. The student described the person as a "tall, skinny-ish white dude" with dark hair, wearing dark clothes and carrying a backpack. He said he reported what he had seen to the FBI tipline after the shooting but had not heard back.
Surveillance footage released by investigators shows a gunman running across the Losee Center roof, climbing down the building's edge and jumping to the ground immediately after opening fire. The footage captured what authorities say were a palm print and a shoe print left at the spot where the suspect descended. The man in the footage then blended into a crowd, walked toward a nearby street, and slipped into a wooded area where investigators later recovered a high-powered rifle, law enforcement officials said.
The Utah Department of Public Safety has released still images of a person of interest wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt with an American flag on the chest, a gray baseball cap bearing a triangle insignia, sunglasses and a black backpack. Officials asked the public to be on the lookout for the clothing and accessories shown in the images.
Beau Mason, director of the Utah Department of Public Safety, told NBC News investigators were pursuing leads but said officials "have no idea" who the suspect is or where he may be located. Authorities said they have conducted more than 200 interviews and received more than 7,000 tips since the slaying.
A professor on campus also saw a person on the roof before the shooting and attempted to question him, the student said, adding that the man "just kind of dismissed" the professor's inquiry. The student acknowledged that, while the images released by authorities looked familiar, he was not certain the person he had seen and the person in the images were the same.
Some earlier media reports said officials had a name for a suspect but were not publicly releasing it. State officials have not confirmed those reports and emphasized that the investigation remains active and that tips from the public are critical to locating the person of interest.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of a political organization, was 31 at the time of the shooting. He was shot Tuesday during an event on the Utah Valley University campus. The attack prompted a large law enforcement response and an intensive search in residential areas near the university.
Investigators said the suspect appeared to flee from the wooded area into a nearby neighborhood after abandoning the rifle. Authorities have urged anyone with relevant information to contact law enforcement, saying physical evidence recovered at the scene — including the prints found where the suspect jumped from the roof — is being processed as the probe continues.
The investigation remains ongoing. State and federal officials have said they are exploring tips spanning a wide geographic area and reviewing campus surveillance and witness accounts as they work to identify and locate the person of interest.