Charlie Kirk killed: FBI releases images of person of interest, $100K reward offered

“We are confirming that he was shot and we are praying for Charlie,” Aubrey Laitsch, Turning Point USA public relations manager, said, shortly after the shooting, according to the AP.

Live updates continue below:

Photos: Search for clues, gunman

Flight to Arizona, reward offered for gunman

Update 1:12 p.m. ET, Sept. 11: The Associated Press reported that Kirk’s casket will be flown from Utah to his home state of Arizona on board Air Force Two on Thursday. The aircraft is the one used by the vice president, according to the U.S. Air Force.

Vice President JD Vance was supposed to be at the Sept. 11 event in New York City, but then his schedule changed, and he was to now travel to Utah to meet with Kirk’s family, the AP reported earlier.

Meanwhile, the FBI is now offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the alleged gunman, the AP reported.

Conflicting information

Update 12:32 p.m. ET, Sept. 11: A preliminary internal report from inside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that the ammunition found with the rifle had engravings, but about two hours after reports surfaced about the alleged engravings, a senior law enforcement official is now saying that the ATF report had not been verified with the agency and did not match other summaries, adding it could have been misread or misinterpreted, The New York Times reported.

The information about apparent messages on the ammunition was earlier reported by CNN, ABC News, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.

Person of interest

Update 11:59 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: The FBI has released images of who they’re calling a “person of interest” and asks the public for tips.

Rifle, ammunition found with writings on them: CNN

Update 10:49 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: Officials said that the rifle and ammunition they found in a wooded area near the site of Kirk’s deadly shooting had, what CNN called, “A range of phrases related to cultural issues.”

Law enforcement officials are now trying to match initials on the writings to suspect profiles, a source told CNN.

The information was retracted by the government about two hours later.

The New York Times, speaking with three law enforcement officials, said that the rifle was an older Mauser 30-06 caliber rifle, which is popular with hunters.

Several rounds were recovered, including a spent round in the chamber, the Times reported.

No motive for the shooting has been provided, The Washington Post reported.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Update 9:58 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: President Donald Trump addressed the crowd gathered at the Pentagon, first speaking about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, announcing that he will be presenting the political activist the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, at a later date.

Rifle recovered

Update 9:15 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: Beau Mason, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, gave an update on Thursday morning.

He said there were a couple of persons of interest who were interviewed and released. He stressed that they were not suspects.

Law enforcement was able to track the shooter as he came onto campus, moved across the university into the building, then moved across the roof, leaving the roof and running into the neighboring community.

Mason said they have “good video” of him and are not releasing it as of now.

He said that the suspect “blended in well” with the crowd and that they believe he is of “college age.”

He said officials spoke with Kirk’s wife and the family is devastated.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls also provided an update on the investigation.

Bohls said that a high-powered bolt-action rifle was recovered in a wooded area near where he had fled. It is believed to be the weapon used to shoot and kill Kirk.

They also have a footwear impression, palm print and forearm print believed to be the shooter’s.

Law enforcement agencies have received more than 130 tips.

Bohls said this was a targeted attack.

What you may have missed

Update 7:04 a.m. ET, Sept. 11: Officials have confirmed that Kirk was hit by a single shot fired from the roof of a nearby building by a person dressed in dark clothing, the AP reported.

He was taken by “private vehicle” to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, officials said, according to CNN.

The shooter is still on the run despite two people being detained and then released.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that he believes only one person was involved in Kirk’s “political assassination,” CNN reported.

More than 15 hours after the shooting, the gunman has not been captured. ”Time just means the ability to get further away," University of New Haven’s Criminal Justice Department lecturer Kenneth Gray told CNN.

Law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller said that snipers like the shooter are “methodical and patient, self-reliant.”

“This is the kind of person who would have planned to get in silently, try to be invisible, take this shot, accomplish the mission, take the gun with them and leave little evidence behind which is why I think they’re having a very difficult time getting started on this,” Miller told CNN.

The FBI is asking for anyone with “information, photos and video” of the shooter.

About 3,000 were at Kirk’s event, which was a debate hosted by his Turning Point USA organization. It was in the Sorensen Center courtyard at Utah Valley University. It was the first of 14 stops on Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour.”

President Donald Trump, in an address to the nation from the Oval Office, called Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom.”

“Charlie inspired millions and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror,” Trump said.

“This is a dark moment for America,” he said.

A vigil was held in Kirk’s memory in Scottsdale, Arizona, the city where Kirk lived.

About 200 people came together to honor Kirk.

John Yep, president and CEO of Catholics for Catholics, summarized a text he had sent to Kirk shortly after his death.

“I want you to know we’re gonna honor your blood, your sacrifice and your tears,” Yep said, according to the AP. “Your little tiny kids are gonna know that when their dad was taken from this Earth, that we came here and prayed.”

President Donald Trump: ‘Charlie Kirk, is dead.’

Update 4:45 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Kirk has died.

Spokesperson Andrew Kolvert confirmed Kirk’s death, The New York Times reported.

Turning Point USA told employees and supporters in a note: “It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven,” CNN reported.

Kirk, 31, leaves behind his wife, Erika Lane Frantzve, and two children, The Washington Post reported.

Images from the scene

Alleged shooter not in custody, university spokesperson says

Update 4:19 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Despite school officials saying earlier that the alleged shooter was in custody, posting it to X, Utah Valley University spokesperson Scott Trotter said in a statement, “The suspect is not in custody,” CNN and the Deseret News reported.

This screengrab shows the tweet that went out earlier Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the shooting occurred.

Officials had detained a person, as shown on videos from the scene, but officials said that person was not the alleged gunman, The New York Times reported.

Utah Valley University: What to know

Update 4:05 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Utah Valley University is located in Orem, Utah, under 40 miles south of Salt Lake City and about 8 miles north of Provo.

According to the school’s website, “Utah Valley University is an integrated university and community college that educates every student for success in work and life through excellence in engaged teaching, personalized services, and rigorous scholarship.”

The university said that in the fall of 2023, it had more than 46,809 students enrolled, with an additional 16,699 high school students having concurrent enrollment.

The school’s leadership said the campus “welcomes everyone” and has “42 countries represented in the student body, 28% of our students are nontraditional (25+ years old)” and that “37% of our students are first-generation.”

The school’s president, Dr. Astrid Tuminez, is the university’s seventh president and was appointed in 2018. She is the school’s first female president.

Scheduled to speak at Dartmouth

Update 3:59 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Kirk was scheduled to take the tour to Dartmouth on Sept. 25. The college’s president, Sian Beilock, said that a bipartisan group of students invited the conservative activist to the campus and that tickets sold out within 10 minutes of being available, the AP reported.

Critical condition, AP reports

Update 3:47 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: The AP reported that Kirk is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the public.

The shot was fired from about 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking from a campus building, CNN reported.

An aide with the Turning Point USA organization said that Kirk traveled with private security when he was speaking to crowds, no matter the size.

University and local police were also on hand providing security at the event, CNN reported.

FBI, ATF on scene

Update 3:36 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X, “FBI and ATF agents are on the scene,” The Washington Post reported.

Single shot

Update 3:31 p.m. ET, Sept. 10: The AP said video showed Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent when a single shot rang out. Kirk then reached up to his neck, where blood was gushing out. The AP said it confirmed that the video was recorded at the Sorensen Center courtyard on campus.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have condemned the shooting.

Senate Republican Leader John Thune said, “There is no place in our country for political violence. Period, full stop. Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk,” CNN reported.

White House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote, “political violence is NEVER acceptable,” adding, “My thoughts and prayers are with Charlie Kirk and his family.”

Original report: Fox News said he was taken to a hospital.

The extent of his injuries has not been confirmed, CNN reported.

The Deseret News reported that a suspect was in custody and that the campus was in lockdown, with an alert sent to students.

Former Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz was at the event and said that when shots rang out, Kirk had taken a question that Chaffetz said was a “religious question,” followed by a second question about “transgender shootings” and “mass killings.”

“When that happened, when that question came out, and he’s, you know, he’s going to have the interaction, one shot. I was watching Charlie. I can’t say that I saw blood. I can’t say that I saw him get hit, but I did see him fall immediately backwards and to his left,” Chaffetz told Fox News, according to CNN.

“As soon as the shot went out, everybody hit the deck and everybody started scattering and yelling and screaming, as you might imagine. And I went from watching Charlie Kirk to looking over to make sure our daughter and our son-in-law were okay,” Chaffetz said.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he is being briefed about the situation.

President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social, “We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM.”

Vice President JD Vance posted on X, “Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is “closely monitoring reports of the tragic shooting involving Charlie Kirk.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

CNN called Kirk “one of the most prominent pro-Trump activists and conservative media personalities in the United States.”

The Washington Post said his Turning Point USA “advocates for conservative politics at high schools and colleges‚" and that the event was sponsored by Utah Valley University’s chapter of the organization.

Less than a half-hour before the shooting, Kirk had posted to his X account, “WE. ARE. SO. BACK. Utah Valley University is FIRED UP and READY for the first stop back on the American Comeback Tour.”

Kirk, according to earlier reports, was supposed to host his “prove me wrong” table, allowing audience members to try to stump him, KSL reported.

He was scheduled to return to Utah on Sept. 30 for the same type of event at Utah State University, but thousands of people had signed a petition to stop him from visiting the campus.

The petition said, “Utah State University has consistently worked toward fostering an inclusive space for all its students and faculty. Letting a figurehead, whose speeches often seem to undermine the essence of inclusivity, use our beloved institution as a platform contradicts this mission,” according to KSL.

A similar petition had been started before today’s visit to Utah Valley University, but had fewer than 1,000 signatures.

Check back for more on this developing story.