The Salt Lake City FBI Office gave updates this morning on the hunt for the person of interest sought in the Charlie Kirk murder investigation.
Kirk was shot and killed by a single bullet law enforcement believes was fired from atop a building 200 feet away. The shooting occurred while Kirk was holding a Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. At least 3,000 people were in attendance to hear Kirk speak and debate with others.
Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls and Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told media that they were able to track the movements of the suspected shooter across the rooftops opposite from where Kirk was shot.
Bohls said they believe they have recovered the weapon used, which has been identified as a bolt-action rifle.
According to the New York Post, a memo put out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) describes the ammo found with the weapon to “transgender and anti-fascist ideology” engravings.
The New York Post article follows claims made by conservative podcaster Steven Crowder, who posted text allegedly from an internal ATF email that contained similar information and that the ATF is working to trace the rounds. The memo claims the weapon is a .30-06-caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle.
Mason recapped the events of the previous day, stating that Kirk had died after being rushed to a local hospital and that his body was now with the medical examiner’s office. He also described that law enforcement had traced the suspect’s movements both before and after the shooting.
“We were able to track the movements of the shooter,” Mason said. “He arrived on campus at 11:52 am. We tracked his movements on campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to the shooting location.”
At the time of the press conference, Mason and Bohls said they were not yet releasing images of the suspect, but just hours later two photos were released.
After 8 p.m. today, a second batch of photos were released showing the person of interest climbing a set of stairs in or around the venue.
The Salt Lake City Office of the FBI is also offering up to a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of anyone involved in the murder.
Anyone who has any tips or video, can submit that information on the FBI website or 1-800-call-FBI.
Bohls said the rifle — found in a wooded area along the path the alleged shooter took, which was adjacent to a neighborhood they believe was used by the suspect to leave the area — is being analyzed by the FBI.
“Investigators have also collected footwear impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis,” Bohls said.
“I understand there are a lot of questions about motive. I assure you: all leads and tips are being fully investigated. As of this morning, we have received more than 130 tips. The FBI has brought every resource to bear, and we will continue to do so throughout the course of this investigation.
“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. Any attack on the First Amendment is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy. That is why we will relentlessly pursue this case until the shooter is in custody.”
Mason said he had spoken with Kirk’s wife, and the “family is devastated.”
“The heinous event that happened yesterday is not Utah,” Mason told reporters, later adding, “We will not stand for what happened yesterday.”
The day prior, following the assassination of Kirk, Bohls, Mason and other officials, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, held a press conference.
Cox delivered strong remarks about catching the shooter, reminding those attending that Utah still has the death penalty.
“I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination,” Cox said.
“We are celebrating 250 years of the founding of this great nation,” continued Cox. “That founding document, the Declaration of Independence, that this great experiment on which we embarked together 250 years ago, that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights. The first one of those is life. And today, a life was taken.”
