The person who assassinated Charlie Kirk is – at the time of writing – still being hunted. On Thursday morning, the FBI held a press conference where they shared a breakthrough in the hunt for the shooter.
Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
The manhunt for the shooter has been ongoing since. Both the FBI and the Utah Public Safety Department said that the shooting was a targeted attack on Kirk.
Initially, information about the suspect was limited.
On Thursday, at a press conference, authorities released new information, describing the suspect as college-aged. Moreover, a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting has been discovered in a wooded area, and a footprint has also been recovered.
The firearm was described as a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle,” NBC reported.
Speaking at the press conference, FBI special agent Robert Bohls revealed that they have an image of the shooter. He added that he doesn’t believe the community is at risk and that they are “exhausting every resource” to find the the person responsible.
Bohls explained that he “can’t comment specifically on his face” as it is part of the ongoing investigation. Even so, he added that they will “release that shortly.”
“We’re not sure how far he has gone yet,” Bohls commented, per the BBC.
FBI shares ‘breakthrough’ in hunt for Charlie Kirk shooter
As of Monday morning, officials had received over 130 tips. Bohls asked anyone with either video or images from the shooting to send them to the FBI.
“I assure you that all leads and tips are being fully investigated,” he added.
The Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner, Beau Mason, said Thursday that he had been in contact with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, on Wednesday evening, stating that the family was “devastated.”
“As commissioner of public safety, as a father, as a husband, I can only imagine what that family is going through,” Mason said. “The heinous event that happened yesterday is not Utah; this is not what we’re known for.”
“We will not stand for what happened yesterday,” he continued. “We are exhausting every lead, we have every officer invested in this, every investigator, every local agency, we will catch this individual.”
Our thoughts and prayers goes out to Charlie Kirk’s family. Rest in peace.
