SALT LAKE CITY — The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office is asking for the public’s help in identifying a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The shooting, which took place on Wednesday at Utah Valley University, has been described by officials as a “political assassination.”
The FBI released images of the individual on X (formerly Twitter) today and urged anyone with information to contact authorities by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or people responsible for the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at an event to an estimated crowd of 3,000 people. Video footage from the event shows a single shot being fired from the roof of a campus building over a hundred yards away, striking Kirk as he sat under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback.” Video shows Kirk’s head jerking back as blood poured from his neck.
Two individuals were initially taken into custody following the shooting but have since been released after being cleared of any connection to the crime. FBI Director Kash Patel had initially announced an arrest on social media but later retracted the statement.
According to Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office, a high-powered, bolt-action rifle believed to be the murder weapon has been recovered from a wooded area where the shooter fled.
Beau Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, stated that the shooter, who appears to be of “college age,” arrived on campus at 11:52 a.m. local time. Investigators have tracked his movements from a campus rooftop, where the shot was fired, to a nearby neighborhood where he fled.
The investigation remains active as the manhunt for the suspect continues.
