(NEXSTAR) – Officials with the FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety said Thursday that they had not apprehended a suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, but investigators were able to track the suspect’s movements in the moments before and after the shooting.
They also revealed they had recovered what they believed to be the weapon used in the shooting.
Timeline: Deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk at UVU
Kirk was killed with a gunshot from a distant rooftop at the Utah Valley University campus, where he was speaking on Wednesday.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, speaking at Thursday’s press conference, said investigators have been working around the clock to identify the suspect from footage taken at the event and also images captured by doorbell cameras in a neighborhood outside of the school.
“We do have good video footage of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time,” Mason said. He later described the suspect as a person of “college age” who would have “blended in well” with the crowd at the event.
Hours after the press conference, the FBI shared a post on X showing of a “person of interest” being sought in the case. The FBI did not say whether this person was believed to be the suspected shooter.
Mason revealed that officials believe the suspect arrived in the area of the school’s campus at 11:52 a.m. local time, about a half hour before shooting Kirk from a rooftop. The suspect then ran across a rooftop, jumped down to the ground and fled into a nearby neighborhood, Mason said.
Robert Bohls, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake Field Office, said the suspect ran into a wooded area. This is also where investigators recovered a “high-powered bolt-action rifle” believed to be the weapon used.
Bohls said authorities also collected what they believed to be the suspect’s “footwear impression,” “palm print” and “forearm impression.”
He asked students and members of the community to submit any video taken during Kirk’s appearance at UVU to a dedicated FBI tip portal.
Both Mason and Bohls expressed confidence in bringing the suspect to justice; Mason also indicated, briefly, that there may be more than one.
“I can’t overstate the tragedy and the horrific event that yesterday was, and how we will work to bring to justice the actions of one individual, or any other individuals that assisted in that,” he said.
Manhunt underway for suspect who shot and killed Charlie Kirk
Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative political youth organization Turning Point USA, was speaking at the Utah Valley University as part an event hosted by the organization. Immediately before the shooting, he was taking questions from an audience member about gun violence.
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.” A shot rings out, and 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.
Kirk was rushed to a hospital in a private vehicle. His death was reported a short time later.
Two people were detained in connection with the shooting on Wednesday, but both were released, public safety officials said.
Mason, speaking on Thursday morning, suggested that those two people were still facing threats from members of the public, despite being cleared by authorities.
“We ask the public to be patient with the investigative process,” Mason said. “They don’t deserve that harassment.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
