A veteran law enforcement officer who reviewed video of Charlie Kirk's security detail said hand movements captured in footage just before the conservative commentator was shot in Utah appeared to be deliberate security signals rather than signs of foreknowledge of the attack.
Stan Kephart, a former California police chief and longtime security consultant, told the Daily Mail that the gestures were consistent with routine check-ins used by private security teams and campus protection officers. The comments come as federal investigators continue to search for a person of interest after the Aug. or midweek attack that left the 31-year-old Kirk critically wounded.
Video circulating online shows two members of Kirk's modest detail standing behind him as he addressed a crowd gathered at Utah Valley University. One officer is seen adjusting his cap while appearing to hold a phone; another shifts his arms and scans the courtyard. Moments later, authorities say, a single rifle round struck Kirk in the neck, and he collapsed beneath a white tent used for his "Prove Me Wrong" event.
Kephart, 85, said the movements were "definitely hand signals" and "more than one signal," but he cautioned against leaping to the darkest conclusions. "My suspicion is that he's checking off with somebody else, perhaps a supervisor, saying everything is okay," Kephart said. He added that if agents had faced an imminent threat they would likely have switched to radio communications rather than hand signals.
Authorities say the shooter was positioned on a rooftop roughly 200 yards from the courtyard, firing a high-powered, bolt-action rifle before fleeing into a nearby neighborhood. The FBI released grainy images of a person of interest wearing dark clothing, sunglasses and a cap bearing a bald eagle over a U.S. flag. As of Thursday evening, investigators had recovered a rifle, palm prints and footprints in a wooded area near the campus but had not identified a suspect.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting "a political assassination" and pledged that federal resources were assisting the local probe. The FBI has urged the public to come forward with any credible leads and discouraged reliance on unverified social media claims. Law enforcement agencies said they are conducting a detailed review of available footage and forensic evidence.
Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA in 2012, was on the first stop of an "American Comeback Tour" when he was shot. Unlike major elected officials, private political organizers generally do not receive federal protection, a difference Kephart said can affect the level of pre-event security. He noted that federal operations often include rooftop sweeps, specialized surveillance technology and shot-detection systems that can be deployed days in advance; those resources were not available for a private event, Kephart said.
Campus police officers were on duty during the event, but Kephart and others have questioned whether staffing and pre-event security sweeps were sufficient for a political rally of the size reported. Officials have not released a full assessment of security preparations at the site, and Turning Point USA did not respond to requests for comment.
Within hours of the shooting, video, photos and eyewitness accounts spread on social media, and some users advanced unverified theories about the incident. Investigators have warned the public that social posts can contain inaccuracies and urged reliance on official updates. Federal agents said their investigation will include exhaustive analysis of video from multiple vantage points, forensic testing of recovered evidence and neighborhood canvasses to identify the shooter and any accomplices.
The shooting follows a period of heightened political violence in the United States, with recent attacks and plots across the ideological spectrum prompting renewed discussion about security at political events. Law enforcement officials told reporters they will leave no leads unexplored as they seek to locate the person shown in the FBI images and determine motive, method and any broader threats to public safety.