Utah officials said on Thursday that Charlie Kirk’s killer remains at large as the FBI released photos of the suspected shooter.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said they tracked the shooter’s movements after he arrived at Utah Valley College, when he shot Kirk, 31, from the Losee Center’s roof, jumped off the building, and fled campus. FBI special agent in charge Robert Bohls said a high-powered bolt-action rifle was recovered from the woods not far from where Wednesday’s shooting transpired, according to the Deseret News.
A law enforcement source told the Associated Press that the weapon in question was a Mauser .30 caliber bolt-action rifle that was stashed in a towel. The rifle — that reportedly had a spent cartridge and three rounds in the magazine — is being analyzed at a federal laboratory.
“The individual appears to be of college age,” Mason said.
Mason also disclosed that they are analyzing a palm print and footprint left at the scene.
Graphic video footage showed Kirk shot in the neck at Utah Valley College on Wednesday. He was at the university for the first stop of his “The American Comeback” tour, which entails him having political debates with members of the audience.
Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason explained that a man initially detained at the scene was arrested on an obstruction charge. He is not the suspected shooter, nor is he the person of interest, per reports.
Amid conflicting reports, the Associated Press reported that two people were detained following Kirk’s death. Both were released after it was determined they had no involvement.
Emerging reports indicated that the single bullet was fired from the university’s Losee Center, located 200 yards away from the tent Kirk was situated under when he was mortally wounded in the neck.
Officials also said there is no indication that multiple culprits carried out the fatal shooting. The shooting occurred about 20 minutes into the event.
Former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz told CNN that Kirk was answering a question about “transgender shootings” and “mass killings” when he was shot.
“When that happened, when that question came out, and he’s you know, he’s going to have the interaction, one shot. I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards into his left,” he said.
Officials urged the public to contact authorities if they had any information about the shooter. Cox called Kirk’s death a “political assassination.”
This story is developing…
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[Feature Photo: FBI]
