FBI releases video clip, new photos of suspect in Charlie Kirk killing

The suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk slipped behind a building, braced himself on the roof and swung off the edge, hitting the ground hard and leaving behind palm smudges and a single shoe print. He bolted across a patch of grass, cut through a parking lot and vanished into the trees.

That's according to Federal investigators, who released a surveillance video Thursday night as the manhunt for the gunman in the killing of Kirk at a campus event in Utah pressed into a second day.

Law enforcement provided additional details about the suspect's clothing, including a T-shirt with an American flag, black Converse shoes, and a baseball cap with a triangle. Forensic evidence is being processed after palm impressions were found on the building.

Earlier Thursday, the FBI had recovered what they believed was the rifle used to kill Kirk and released photos of the person of interest in the slaying.

The state of Utah will be pursuing the death penalty when the suspect is caught, Governor Spencer Cox said at the evening briefing. He also accused other nations of trying to cause unrest in the US.

"What we're seeing is our adversaries want violence," Cox said. "We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world, that are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence. I would encourage you to ignore those, to turn off those streams and spend a little more time with our families."

China's Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The FBI had previously released surveillance photos and asked for the public's help in identifying the person, the agency's Salt Lake City field office said in a post on X. The agency also offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information relating to the killing.

Robert Bohls, the FBI's special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City office, said at an earlier briefing that the high-powered bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area near Utah Valley University, where the gunman fled after the attack. The weapon is being examined at the bureau's laboratory, along with other evidence that includes footwear impressions and palm prints collected at the scene.

Authorities said the shooter appeared to be of college age and was able to blend into the campus before climbing to a rooftop firing position. Investigators tracked his movements through security footage as he entered a stairwell, crossed the roof and later jumped from the building to escape into a nearby neighborhood.

Investigators recovered an older imported Mauser bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus, along the route the gunman took while fleeing, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The weapon still held the spent cartridge from a single shot as well as three unfired rounds in its magazine. While some reports described inscriptions with ideological messaging on the cartridge, law enforcement officials said they hadn't released any images of the weapon and could not verify those circulating publicly.

The gun has been turned over to the FBI for DNA and fingerprint analysis.

More than 7,000 leads and tips have been submitted so far, Cox said, and the bureau asked the public to continue sharing any photos or video clips.

Bohls said the bureau is treating the case as an attack on free speech. "Any attack on the First Amendment is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy," he said.

Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason cautioned against speculation after two people initially questioned were cleared of involvement. He said both had faced harassment once their names circulated.

"They were not suspects," Mason said. "They don't deserve that scrutiny for being subject to the investigative process."

Mason said Kirk's body had been transferred to the state medical examiner's office and would be returned to his family Thursday. He called the killing "heinous" and said it didn't reflect Utah's traditions of service and community.

Kirk, 31, executive director of Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday as he spoke at an outdoor student event before a crowd of more than 3,000. He was answering a question about mass shootings as the shot was fired, according to video of the event, which showed his head jerking to the side and the crowd running and screaming.

He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The shooting drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. Trump called Kirk "a patriot," ordered flags lowered nationwide and said he would award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The president said he will talk to Kirk's family Thursday afternoon.

Vice President JD Vance, who is traveling to Utah Thursday to offer condolences to the Kirk family, wrote that the popular influencer had played a central role in his political career. Former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama also denounced the violence and offered condolences.

Kirk's family members and friends, as well as his casket, will be flown to the Phoenix area with the vice president aboard Air Force Two, according to a person familiar with the plans. Second lady Usha Vance will accompany the vice president.

Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and built it into a prominent force in conservative politics with hundreds of campus chapters. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.