If you look up to the top left, you’ll see the, the building where the shooter was proned out in the top left corner. We’ll go ahead and play that video and I’ll narrate it as we walk through that. So here you see the suspect ran behind that upper. Upper building, he’s come out on the right, moves to this far right corner. As he does, he’s going to climb off the edge. And then dropped down to the ground as he did that, he left some palm impressions. There’s some smudges, some places we’re looking to collect DNA. There’s *** shoe imprint where we believe the suspect is clearly identified as wearing Converse tennis shoes. Again, we’ll replay that again so you can get another view of that. It’s important to note his black t-shirt, his black pants, um, and there appears to be some white on the soles of those Converse tennis shoes. Those are all identifiable items that we’re looking for in the stills that are going to follow this, you’re going to see *** very distinctive t-shirt with an American flag and appears to have an eagle on it. There’s also *** baseball cap with *** triangle on it and *** pair of sunglasses, all distinctive, all things that we would ask the public to look for and try to identify if they know someone who has those items who has been seen wearing those items. We’re looking for all that information. Here you see the suspect after dropping off the building. He moved around across this grassy area around the parking lot. We’re going to pan to the right. After he crosses the street, this is where he moves over into the wooded area. This is the video evidence that we utilize to track his movements and to locate that firearm in that wooded area following the discovery of this evidence.
FBI and Utah authorities release video, new photos of person of interest in Charlie Kirk’s killing
Updated: 11:58 PM EDT Sep 11, 2025
The shooter who assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk and then vanished off a roof and into the woods remained at large more than 24 hours later Thursday as federal investigators appealed for the public’s help by releasing a pair of photos of the person believed responsible. Investigators obtained clues, including a palm print, a shoe impression and a high-powered hunting rifle found in a wooded area along the path the shooter fled. But they had yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing they were treating as the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States across the ideological spectrum.The latestThe FBI and Utah officials released photos of a “person of interest” in Charlie Kirk’s shooting death. Hours later, officials released video footage of the person of interest running, jumping from a roof.Authorities have recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the attack and are reviewing video footage of the person they believe was responsible.The FBI is offering up to a $100,000 reward “for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.” Vice President JD Vance escorted Kirk’s casket from Utah back to Phoenix, Arizona, via Air Force II.President Trump told reporters Thursday evening that he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral. Plans or details for the funeral have not been announced.The photos of a person in a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeve black shirt, with a backpack, as well as a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest suggested that law enforcement thought tips from the public might be needed to crack the case. Two people who were taken into custody shortly after Wednesday’s shooting at Utah Valley University were later released, forcing officials to chase new leads on a separate person of interest they pursued Thursday. The Utah Public Safety on Thursday night released the additional photos of the person of interest on X ahead of the news conference.During a news conference Thursday, authorities showed a video of the suspected shooter racing across the roof of the building where the shot was fired, dropping down to the ground and fleeing into the woods. In the process, officials say, the shooter left behind imprints, including a palm print, that investigators hope can yield clues to their identity.Video below: See the full news conference from Thursday night“We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” said Gov. Spencer Cox, adding that the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips. He said the FBI had not received as many digital tips since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing investigation. One clue in the investigation was a Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle found in a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three other rounds were loaded in the magazine, according to information circulated among law enforcement and described to The Associated Press. The weapon and ammunition were being analyzed by law enforcement at a federal lab.The attack, carried out in a broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues from a university courtyard, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media.The videos show Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out. Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a “college-age” appearance, fired a single shot from the rooftop where they were perched before jumping off.“I can tell you this was a targeted event,” said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City.Trump, who was joined by Democrats in condemning the violence, said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., while Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, arrived Thursday afternoon in Salt Lake City to visit with Kirk’s family. Vance posted a remembrance on X chronicling their friendship, dating back to initial messages in 2017, through Vance’s Senate run and the 2024 election.“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”Kirk’s casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, where his nonprofit political youth organization, Turning Point USA, is based. Trump told reporters he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral. Details have not been announced. Kirk was taking questions about gun violenceKirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political youth organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus. Immediately before the shooting, he took questions from an audience member about gun violence.”Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”The questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?””Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked.Then a shot rang out.The shooter, who Gov. Spencer Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away.Madison Lattin was watching a few dozen feet from Kirk’s left when she heard the bullet hit him.“Blood is falling and dripping down, and you’re just like so scared, not just for him but your own safety,” she said.She saw people drop to the ground in an eerie silence pierced immediately by cries. She and others ran. Some fell and were trampled in the stampede.When Lattin later learned that Kirk had died, she wept, she said, describing him as a role model who had showed her how to fight for the truth. Condemnation from across the political spectrumThe shooting drew swift bipartisan condemnation as Democratic officials joined Trump, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation, and other Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence.“The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends,” said Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.In a joint statement, the Young Democrats of Connecticut and the Connecticut Young Republicans called the shooting “unacceptable.”“There is no place in our country for such acts regardless of political disagreements,” they said.The shooting appeared poised to become part of a spike of political violence that has touched a range of ideologies and representatives of both major political parties. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade in June to demand Hamas release hostages and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a Pennsylvania campaign rally last year.
OREM, Utah —
The shooter who assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk and then vanished off a roof and into the woods remained at large more than 24 hours later Thursday as federal investigators appealed for the public’s help by releasing a pair of photos of the person believed responsible.
Investigators obtained clues, including a palm print, a shoe impression and a high-powered hunting rifle found in a wooded area along the path the shooter fled. But they had yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing they were treating as the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States across the ideological spectrum.
The latest
The FBI and Utah officials released photos of a “person of interest” in Charlie Kirk’s shooting death. Hours later, officials released video footage of the person of interest running, jumping from a roof.Authorities have recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the attack and are reviewing video footage of the person they believe was responsible.The FBI is offering up to a $100,000 reward “for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.” Vice President JD Vance escorted Kirk’s casket from Utah back to Phoenix, Arizona, via Air Force II.President Trump told reporters Thursday evening that he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral. Plans or details for the funeral have not been announced.
FBI
FBI releases photos of a person of interest in Charlie Kirk’s shooting as investigators appeal to the public for tips
The photos of a person in a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeve black shirt, with a backpack, as well as a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest suggested that law enforcement thought tips from the public might be needed to crack the case. Two people who were taken into custody shortly after Wednesday’s shooting at Utah Valley University were later released, forcing officials to chase new leads on a separate person of interest they pursued Thursday.
The Utah Public Safety on Thursday night released the additional photos of the person of interest on X ahead of the news conference.
Utah Department of Public Safety via CNN Newsource
The Utah Department of Public Safety released additional images showing the person of interest in the Charlie Kirk shooting. (Utah Department of Public Safety via CNN Newsource)
During a news conference Thursday, authorities showed a video of the suspected shooter racing across the roof of the building where the shot was fired, dropping down to the ground and fleeing into the woods. In the process, officials say, the shooter left behind imprints, including a palm print, that investigators hope can yield clues to their identity.
Video below: See the full news conference from Thursday night
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” said Gov. Spencer Cox, adding that the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips. He said the FBI had not received as many digital tips since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing investigation.
One clue in the investigation was a Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle found in a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three other rounds were loaded in the magazine, according to information circulated among law enforcement and described to The Associated Press. The weapon and ammunition were being analyzed by law enforcement at a federal lab.
The attack, carried out in a broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues from a university courtyard, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media.
The videos show Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out. Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.
The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a “college-age” appearance, fired a single shot from the rooftop where they were perched before jumping off.
“I can tell you this was a targeted event,” said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City.
Trump, who was joined by Democrats in condemning the violence, said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., while Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, arrived Thursday afternoon in Salt Lake City to visit with Kirk’s family. Vance posted a remembrance on X chronicling their friendship, dating back to initial messages in 2017, through Vance’s Senate run and the 2024 election.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
Kirk’s casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, where his nonprofit political youth organization, Turning Point USA, is based. Trump told reporters he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral. Details have not been announced.
Kirk was taking questions about gun violence
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political youth organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus. Immediately before the shooting, he took questions from an audience member about gun violence.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the person asked. Kirk responded, “Too many.”
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed.
The questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk asked.
Then a shot rang out.
The shooter, who Gov. Spencer Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away.
Madison Lattin was watching a few dozen feet from Kirk’s left when she heard the bullet hit him.
“Blood is falling and dripping down, and you’re just like so scared, not just for him but your own safety,” she said.
She saw people drop to the ground in an eerie silence pierced immediately by cries. She and others ran. Some fell and were trampled in the stampede.
When Lattin later learned that Kirk had died, she wept, she said, describing him as a role model who had showed her how to fight for the truth.
Condemnation from across the political spectrum
The shooting drew swift bipartisan condemnation as Democratic officials joined Trump, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation, and other Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence.
“The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends,” said Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.
In a joint statement, the Young Democrats of Connecticut and the Connecticut Young Republicans called the shooting “unacceptable.”
“There is no place in our country for such acts regardless of political disagreements,” they said.
The shooting appeared poised to become part of a spike of political violence that has touched a range of ideologies and representatives of both major political parties. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade in June to demand Hamas release hostages and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvania’s governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a Pennsylvania campaign rally last year.