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The FBI has released two photos of a new person of interest in the assassination of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon at Utah Valley University during a public speaking event.
The images show a thin male wearing jeans, a long-sleeved black shirt with an American flag graphic, black sunglasses and a hat.
Investigators said Thursday morning that they traced the sniper’s escape route and recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle,” according to FBI Salt Lake City Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls. He said they also obtained foot, palm and forearm imprints linked to the crime.
CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION: ‘SUBJECT’ QUESTIONED AND RELEASED AFTER UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING, PATEL SAYS
FBI Salt Lake City releases photos of a person of interest in Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (FBI Salt Lake City)
The news came after two separate announcements from authorities about having someone in custody — and later releasing those individuals.
A single gunshot rang out around 12:20 p.m. local time, a school spokeswoman said, about 20 minutes into a speech from Kirk on campus at Utah Valley University.
Dispatchers audio includes a suspect description.
“He’s going to be wearing all black, black long gun, black tactical helmet, a black mask, possibly wearing a tactical vest and jeans,” a female dispatcher said over the radio, according to recordings.
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Authorities said the killer arrived around 11:52 a.m. and climbed to a rooftop through a campus building’s stairwell. The 31-year-old Kirk’s event began at noon. After the shooting, the suspected assassin jumped down the other side of the building and fled into a neighborhood, where police were canvassing for video evidence.
Kirk, a father of two and the founder of Turning Point USA, died of his injuries.
Graphic video shows him struck and slumping over, before panic ripples through the large crowd in attendance, with people screaming and running for cover. Other videos appear to show someone moving on the rooftop of a building across from where Kirk was speaking in the center of a green space.
CHARLIE KIRK, TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER, DEAD AT 31 AFTER UTAH CAMPUS SHOOTING
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
The school has more than 40,000 students. An event organizer told Fox News Digital that 1,400 people RSVP’d to the event. The organizer said that many people came from out of the state to see Kirk speak.
The Utah Department of Public Safety later said about 3,000 people attended the event.
“We had a speaker, Charlie Kirk, who was invited by a student group, Turning Point USA, who was speaking on campus today at noon,” Ellen Treanor, the associate vice president of strategic and communication management at Utah Valley University, said in a statement.
The crowd reacts after Charlie Kirk is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
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“At about 12:20 shots were fired from a building about 200 yards from the speaker. To the best of our knowledge, the individual was hit and was taken away immediately by his security personnel.”
President Donald Trump was the first to officially announce Kirk’s death.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”