Charlie Kirk: Images, videos of suspected killer emerge as FBI recovers weapon
Late Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk. Photo Credit- The Wall Street Journal
Authorities say they have recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the Utah shooting that left conservative commentator Charlie Kirk critically injured.
FBI agent Robert Bohls told reporters during a news briefing in Orem, Utah, that investigators had located a high-powered bolt-action rifle in a wooded area where the suspected gunman fled after the attack. The firearm has been sent to the FBI laboratory for analysis.
Bohls added that investigators also discovered what appeared to be palm and forearm impressions at the scene, which will undergo forensic testing. Despite the breakthrough, the shooter remains at large.
They are around 135m from where Charlie Kirk was sitting when he was shot.
According to Bohls, authorities are still uncertain about the suspect’s movements or how far he may have traveled since the incident. However, he confirmed that investigators possess clear images of the suspect’s face, which could be released in the coming days. Significantly, officials consistently referred to the suspect as “he,” the first official confirmation of the shooter’s gender.
Meanwhile, video evidence shared online appears to show the gunman’s position before the attack. Two clips uploaded to X capture a figure on the roof of a nearby university building before and immediately after the shot was fired. In the first video, what looks like a person can be seen lying down. The individual filming can be heard saying, “there’s somebody on the roof right there… he just ran from over there,” while pointing toward a stairwell leading to the roof.
The silhouette of the figure is visible on the edge of the fourth-floor roof of the Losee Center, roughly 135 meters from where Kirk was sitting when the bullet struck him. The uploader claimed the footage was taken “right before everything happened.” Sky News has not independently verified the timing of the clips.
It’s filmed from a window above him. You see a silhouette that appears to stand and move away from the roof’s edge.
The shooting, which unfolded in front of a crowd of about 3,000 people, was captured on multiple cameras. Graphic videos of Kirk being struck in the neck and the chaotic aftermath have since circulated widely across social media platforms.
VIDEO HERE
In response, Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna has urged social media companies to take down the clips. Describing the recordings as “horrifying videos,” she said they risk desensitizing the public to violence. “These are not the only graphic videos of horrifying murders circulating,” Luna said. “At some point, social media begins to desensitize humanity. We must still value life. Please take them down.”
