The gunman who fatally shot American right-wing youth leader Charlie Kirk during a live event in Utah is still at large.
However, authorities say they have obtained clear video images of the suspect and recovered the weapon used in the k!lling.
Kirk, 31, a rising star on the Republican right credited with helping Donald Trump reclaim the presidency last year, was shot in the neck on Wednesday while addressing a large audience at Utah Valley University. He collapsed on stage and later died of his wounds.
The FBI described the k!lling as a “targeted event”, warning that it underscored the growing political tensions rocking the United States barely six months into Trump’s second term.
Speaking at a media briefing, FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls said, “We’re doing everything we can to find him. We’re not sure how far he has gone yet, but we will do our best.”
Bohls confirmed that the presumed murder weapon had been found.
“It is a high-powered bolt-action rifle. That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” he said.
Two people earlier detained for questioning were later released after investigators found no links to the shooting.
Beau Mason, Utah’s Commissioner for Public Safety, disclosed that law enforcement had secured quality video images of the suspect, believed to be of university age.
“We do have good video footage of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time,” Mason said.
It was President Trump, rather than law enforcement, who first announced Kirk’s death, describing the incident as a “dark moment for America.”
In a video address, Trump alleged that left-wing rhetoric was to blame for the attack.
“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing,” Trump said.
He vowed to track down everyone involved, declaring, “My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity.”
Witnesses at the university described the chaos that followed the shooting. Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student, said, “It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas.”
Utah’s Republican Governor, Spencer Cox, condemned the k!lling as a “political assassination.”
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to promote conservative ideals among young Americans. He built a vast online following across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, advocating for anti-immigration policies, Christian values, and gun rights, while sharing viral clips from fiery campus debates.
Supporters hailed him as a “martyr for conservative ideals.”
