US police release video of suspect jumping off roof to escape after shooting Charlie Kirk, calling on people to help find him.
Utah Department of Public Safety chief Beau Mason released a video at a press conference on the Charlie Kirk assassination on September 11 showing the suspect running away from the scene.
The video was captured by a security camera near Utah Valley University, next to a parking lot, showing the suspect running hastily on the roof of the building, where the shooting is believed to have occurred.
The suspect grabbed the edge of the roof and jumped to the ground from a fairly high distance, then crossed the street towards the woods, carrying a long object wrapped in a bag or towel, suspected to be the rifle used in the crime. Police later found the rifle in the woods.
The man was wearing the same outfit and baseball cap as the FBI had previously released, and urged people to come forward if they saw him.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox urged people to come forward with information to “find this evil man,” and said the state would seek the death penalty if the case went to trial.
Cox said authorities had received more than 7,000 tips from the public and conducted about 200 interviews over the past day to find clues about the suspect. He also reminded people that there was a lot of misinformation circulating online about the Charlie Kirk assassination.
“Our enemies want more violence. There are a lot of fake accounts trying to spread fake news and incite. Ignore them,” he said.
The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect. FBI Director Kash Patel appeared with Utah Governor Andrew Cuomo at the press conference but did not speak.
Earlier, the state police and the FBI released four photos of a suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination. The photos showed the man wearing a shirt with an American flag motif, a black backpack and Converse shoes. Mason said these details could help the American people easily identify the person the police are looking for and report them promptly.
James Gagliano, a former FBI supervisor, told Fox that the suspect chose a shooting location near the parking lot of the freeway, which was convenient for aiming at the stage where Kirk was speaking. The suspect could also have easily left the scene just minutes after opening fire.
“Within three to five minutes of pulling the trigger, he could have gotten into a car and driven miles away. Provo Airport is only about 45 minutes away,” he said, suggesting the killer may have left Utah.
US Army Sergeant Nicholas Ranstad, a retired sniper, said the shot that killed Kirk was not technically difficult and there were no signs of a professional shooter.
“Some people have speculated that this was a professional assassination. But at a distance of just over 150 meters, if you had a scope, it was not a very difficult shot,” Gagliano agreed.
US authorities discovered additional shoe prints and palm prints of the suspect at the scene, but have not yet determined his identity or motive. Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative political activist, died after being shot once in the neck.
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