The sniper who killed conservative American activist Charlie Kirk is still at large, although the search for him entered its third day on Friday, and investigators have flooded the internet with photos and videos of the man believed to have committed a politically motivated murder at a university in Utah on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump said investigators were making progress in finding the gunman who fired a single rifle shot Wednesday that struck Kirk, a 31-year-old author and podcast host who helped galvanize the conservative youth voice and return Trump to the White House.
Officials are still calling the man captured on video a person of interest, not a suspect, but have determined he was at the crime scene at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Kirk was on campus for one of his events for students, where he — as is his trademark — answered questions and challenged opponents to debate the most polarizing topics of the day, including gun violence and race. About 3000 people attended.
The shooting marks the longest period of political violence in the US since the 1970s. Reuters has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated acts of violence across the ideological spectrum since Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump himself survived two assassination attempts last year, one in which he suffered a scratch on his ear during a campaign event and another two months later that was thwarted by federal agents.
Video shown at a news conference late Thursday showed a man walking on the roof of the building where the shooting occurred before descending to the ground and leaving the campus. He walked across the road into a small wooded area where officials found what they described as a bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the shooting.
Bolt-action rifles, unlike the semi-automatic rifles often used in mass shootings, are popular among American game hunters and snipers in militaries around the world. They require the manual loading of each round into the chamber by turning the bolt, but are considered more accurate at longer ranges when a single, lethal shot is sufficient.
Ute Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the man left palm prints and that stains were found in places where investigators looked for DNA.
The public's help in identifying the suspect is also requested
"There is a shoe print where we believe the suspect is clearly identified as wearing Converse sneakers," Mason added.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, appearing at a news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials, asked for the public's help in identifying the slender young man, whose appearance was partially obscured by a dark baseball cap and sunglasses.
"Right now we can't do our job without the public's help," Cox said. "So far we've received over 7000 leads and tips. I'd just like to point out that the FBI hasn't received that many tips since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing."
The FBI has offered a $100.000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Kirk's killer. Lawmakers, commentators and online sleuths have already filled social media and forums with speculation about the killer's identity and accusations about his ideology.
Kirk, 31, a husband and father of two, was beloved by many in Trump's MAGA political movement. Vice President JD Vance credited him with helping Trump win the 2024 presidential election and select the people appointed to the Trump administration.
Vance canceled his trip to New York and instead traveled to Utah to see Kirk's family and fly them, along with Kirk's coffin, home to Arizona on Air Force Two.
Trump said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
"Charlie Kirk was a great person, a great man - great in every way, especially with young people," Trump told reporters.
"Investigators are making great strides in finding Charlie Kirk's killer. We hope to catch him and deal with him very appropriately," Trump said.
Photo: EPA/CLEMENS BILAN
