Federal authorities have released photographs of a person of interest as the manhunt intensifies for the sniper who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event in Utah.
The FBI images, shared Thursday, show an individual wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, hat, and sunglasses. Officials urged the public to help identify the suspect, who fled on foot after firing a single round that struck Kirk in the neck as he spoke to a crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Law enforcement recovered a Mauser .30 caliber bolt-action rifle hidden in a wooded area near the campus, along what investigators believe was the shooter’s escape route. The weapon, loaded with three live rounds in addition to the spent cartridge, is undergoing forensic testing at a federal lab. Authorities described the attacker as appearing college-aged and able to blend into the student environment.
The attack unfolded before roughly 3,000 attendees on Wednesday during a stop on Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour.” Witnesses said panic spread as the shot rang out, sending people scrambling for cover. Kirk, co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
Trump called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom” and announced he would posthumously award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vice President JD Vance also traveled to Utah to meet with Kirk’s family, saying the 31-year-old played a pivotal role in organizing Trump’s second administration.
The shooting has drawn condemnation across the political spectrum. Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a 2011 assassination attempt, said her “heart breaks” for Kirk’s family, while youth political groups from both parties released a joint statement denouncing the violence.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox vowed the state would pursue justice, noting that capital punishment remains an option. Meanwhile, investigators continue canvassing neighborhoods near the campus, reviewing video evidence, and urging anyone with information to come forward.
The killing has reignited debate over the rise of political violence in the United States, which in recent years has claimed victims across ideological lines.
