The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday, September 11, released images of a suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, and announced a $100,000 reward for anyone providing information leading to his capture, according to ABC News.
The conservative activist and Trump ally was assassinated during a debate at a university in Utah on Wednesday, September 10, President Trump announced, according to the Associated Press.
“This is a dark day for our state,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox declared, calling the shooting a “political assassination.”
As of Wednesday evening, it remained unclear whether any suspect had been arrested or if the shooter was still at large, as law enforcement repeatedly changed its statements. Earlier, Kash Patel, director of the FBI, announced on social media that a suspect had been arrested, but later clarified that the individual was questioned and then released. Utah officials also reported an arrest, though it was unclear whether it was the same individual Patel mentioned.
Authorities have not released the identity of the person detained, the motive behind the shooting, or any criminal charges.
Charlie Kirk, 31, CEO and co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was speaking into a microphone under a white tent decorated with the slogans “America Is Back” and “Prove Me Wrong” when a gunshot rang out, according to video footage posted on social media from Utah Valley University in Orem.
Blood gushed from the left side of Kirk’s neck as he clutched the wound with his right hand, the video shows. Audience members screamed and fled. The Associated Press verified the videos were filmed at Sorensen Center on the Utah Valley University campus.
On Wednesday afternoon, TPUSA sent a message to its staff and supporters confirming Kirk’s death.
“Our leadership team at TPUSA is heartbroken to inform you that earlier today, Charlie Kirk entered eternal life with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” the organization wrote in a statement shared with CNN.
Earlier, on his Truth Social platform, President Trump also announced Kirk’s passing.
“Charlie Kirk, talented and even very famous, is dead,” Trump wrote.
The incident occurred while Kirk was speaking at a debate organized by Turning Point USA. Just before being shot, Kirk had been answering an audience question about mass shootings and gun violence in America.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have committed mass shootings in the last 10 years?” an audience member asked.
“Too many,” Kirk replied.
The person followed up: “Do you know how many people overall have committed mass shootings in the U.S. in the last 10 years?”
“Does that include gang violence?” Kirk asked back.
Then the gunfire erupted.
At a press conference on Thursday morning, September 11, officials said they were continuing to work “around the clock” to track down the suspect.
Earlier, the FBI also announced it had seized a rifle believed to have been used in the shooting of Kirk. The weapon was discovered in a heavily wooded area near the scene of the assassination, according to Robert Bohls, head of the FBI’s Salt Lake City office.
The weapon has been identified as an imported Mauser .30-06 rifle, wrapped in a cloth, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News. The location where the rifle was found appears to align with the suspect’s path of travel, according to these sources.
The shell casing from the fired round was still in the weapon, along with three unfired bullets etched with markings that authorities believe referenced “transgender ideology and anti-fascism,” based on preliminary information shared with law enforcement agencies. Officials are still working to determine the exact meaning of the inscriptions.
The FBI has seized the rifle and ammunition for DNA and fingerprint analysis. After testing, the firearm will be disassembled to gather additional information regarding its importation.
President Trump, along with a number of Republican and Democratic officials, condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk. On Wednesday, Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff nationwide until 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 14, in Kirk’s memory. Trump had previously praised Kirk for helping mobilize young voters in support of his campaigns.
On social media platform X, former President Joe Biden called for an end to political violence.
“Our nation has no place for this kind of violence. It must stop,” Biden said. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
The assassination comes amid a troubling rise in political violence across the United States. In June, a state legislator in Minnesota and her husband were murdered in their home; in Colorado, a man firebombed a parade demanding Hamas release hostages in Gaza; in April, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and a Jewish American, had his house set on fire. Most notably, last July, former President Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning in Pennsylvania.
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