Compiled from news service reports
The FBI on Thursday released photos of a person of interest in the assassination of Charlie Kirk at a Utah college, in the midst of a massive manhunt.
“We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” the FBI’s Salt Lake City office wrote in a post on X.
It also directed people to a webpage where they could submit tips about the individual seen in the photos.
Earlier Thursday, the FBI and local authorities said in a news conference that they recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle that was discarded in a wooded area. They also said they obtained surveillance footage of a possible suspect. So far, no name or motive has been ascribed to the individual.
Two individuals who were detained on Wednesday were released, the FBI also said.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.
Manhunt Continues
The shooter, who wore dark clothing, fired from a campus building roughly 200 yards from Kirk, the university and authorities said. Authorities said the suspect then jumped off the building and fled into a neighborhood.
The shooter appeared to be college-aged and “blended in well” at the college, authorities said.
President Donald Trump, in remarks on Wednesday evening, vowed to find those responsible for the killing and hold them accountable. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the act as a “political assassination.”
U.S. lawmakers have called for heightened security in the wake of the attack, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on Wednesday evening.
Turning Point USA ‘Crushed and Devastated’
Turning Point USA, which Kirk founded, released a statement on Kirk’s X account.
“Every one of us at Turning Point USA is crushed and devastated by the hateful murder of our founder and guiding light, Charlie Kirk. All of us have lost a leader, a mentor, and a friend,” the group said.
The organization expressed its sympathies with Kirk’s family. He leaves behind his wife, Erika, and two young children.
“More than anyone, Charlie believed in the power of argument and good-faith debate to find the truth and guide people towards, if not agreement, then at least mutual understanding,” the TPUSA statement said.
The statement added that 31-year-old Kirk “was no stranger to threats” as “he received thousands throughout his life.”
TPUSA called Kirk “America’s greatest martyr to the freedom of speech he so adored.”
The organization noted that Kirk “launched Turning Point out of his parents’ garage as an 18-year-old with no money, no name recognition, only a dream.”
“Although Charlie is gone, his legacy will endure. He shall not grow old; age shall not weary him,” the statement said. “For all time, he will remain the brave young man who inspired tens of millions of Americans to better themselves and take action to better America.”
Chris Pratt, Jason Aldean Among Celebrities Paying Tribute to Kirk
Actor Chris Pratt and country singer Jason Aldean are among the many celebrities posting tributes online to mourn Kirk’s death on Wednesday.
The conservative influencer was on the first stop of “The American Comeback Tour,” an initiative that promoted public discourse between the political commentator and college students at various schools across the country.
“Praying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country,” Pratt wrote on X. “We need God’s grace. God help us.”
“It’s been a hard day not only in our family, but all over the country,” said Aldean on Instagram, calling Kirk “one of the kindest, smartest, and bravest people” he’d ever met.
“I’m honored to have met and spoke with him on a few occasions. He was a man of peace and wanted nothing but the best for our country and its youth. We might have lost Charlie today but what he has done will live on forever.”
Singer-songwriter John Rich, better known as one-half of the country music duo Big & Rich, also remembered Kirk online, sharing that he was honored to know him and sing at his events.
“He was a true Christian, and is now seeing Jesus face to face,” Rich wrote. “Pray for his family and friends. RIP Charlie, you made a difference in this world, and you will be sorely missed.”
Actor Rob Schneider took to X to share a Bible verse and a short prayer.
“As we pray for our dear friend and brother in Christ, American patriot, father, husband and son, Charlie Kirk, we know that our God is a loving God. And we must remember that vengeance is the Lord’s. Not ours,” the comedian wrote. “May Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior bless and heal our brother Charlie, and give peace to his family and friends at this time.”
“RIP Charlie Kirk,” actor Josh Duhamel — who stars in the new Western series “Ransom Canyon” — captioned alongside a photo of Kirk and his family on Instagram.
“Please remember, no matter what your political beliefs, that this man had a wife and two beautiful children who no longer have him. Please pray for this madness to stop.”
“We love you Charlie,” actress Candace Cameron Bure wrote on Instagram. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Police Respond to Bomb Threat at DNC Headquarters
Law enforcement officers on Thursday rushed to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington after learning of a potential bomb threat, a U.S. Capitol Police wrote in an email. A DNC spokesperson told news outlets in a statement that the threat “was determined to not be credible by the U.S. Capitol Police.”
The spokesperson added: “Out of an abundance of caution, Capitol Police is conducting an interior sweep of the building. As DNC Chair Ken Martin has said, political violence in every form has no place in our country. We are grateful to the U.S. Capitol Police and DNC building security for responding quickly and professionally.”
Martin said in a statement about the Kirk shooting: “Let me be clear: Even if you disagree with someone’s beliefs, even if you stand against every single thing they stand for, the path of disagreement must never lead to what happened today at Utah Valley University. Political violence — in all of its forms — is unacceptable in America.”
Vance to Fly Kirk’s Casket, Family from Utah to Arizona on Air Force Two
Vice President JD Vance planned to escort Kirk’s casket, along with his wife Erika and some of their family members and close friends, on Air Force Two from Utah to Arizona on Thursday, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Vance canceled plans to be in New York City to commemorate 9/11 and instead flew to Utah the day after Kirk was fatally shot.
‘Disbelief’ on Utah Campus
Neil, a man holding an upside-down American flag on the Utah Valley University campus Thursday, said he knew three people who were present at the Charlie Kirk event on Wednesday.
The Utah Valley University alumnus, who said his son attends the school, said the attendees he knew were in “disbelief — shocked.”
“We’re a very conservative, straightforward, good community. How could this happen here?” Neil asked.
Neil, who declined to share his last name, said he wanted to draw attention to America’s mental health crisis.
“I think this could have been avoided,” he added, citing the lack of law enforcement presence.
“When you invite the most polarizing person in the country to come and speak, and you’ve got six police officers, it’s just not enough,” he said, noting that he was a fan of Kirk.
He reflected on Kirk’s Christian faith. “His message to the young people was just, let’s start bringing God back into our lives.”
While some fear that Kirk’s death will chill political dialogue, Neil believes it could open things up.
“I do believe this situation is going to allow for people to have a more open conversation, because they’re going to be able to exchange their feelings of what they were feeling that day,” he said.
Koby Herrera, a student at Utah Valley, said he was present at the event.
“I woke up today kind of hoping I woke up from a nightmare,” Herrera said.
He believes security at the event — six law enforcement officers for an event that attracted 3,000 people — was inadequate.
Herrera, who wore a MAGA hat as he was being interviewed, wondered if he was safe wearing it.
He recounted the mood before tragedy struck.
“People were happy to be here. There was so much patriotism,” the sophomore transfer student said.
Herrera witnessed the incident unfold, but did not catch a glimpse of the suspected shooter, who is believed to have climbed off the top of a nearby building and fled.
“A coward,” Herrera said, reacting to photographs of a “person of interest” released by the FBI on X.
Although the FBI has not apprehended that suspect, Herrera said he does not feel nervous on campus, as the shooting appears to have been a targeted assassination.
He voiced frustration with law enforcement leads on Wednesday that went nowhere.
“We’re told, ‘We have a guy’ … then we have a guy — and now people are threatening him. So, when does the threat stop?” he said, referring to two persons of interest apprehended and released by law enforcement.
Amid the sadness and shock on campus, Herrera thinks the killer may have only strengthened Kirk’s message. “I think what he did was put Charlie in his grave for sure, but [also] to give him a bigger mic.”
Jack Phillips, Jackson Richman, Audrey Enjoli, Zachary Stieber, Emel Akan, Nathan Worcester and T.J. Muscaro contributed to this report.
