The FBI has released new video footage of the suspect who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as authorities make an urgent appeal for public help in solving the high-profile case.
Kirk, a close ally of former president Donald Trump, was gunned down Wednesday while speaking at a Utah university in front of thousands of people. More than 24 hours later, investigators say they still don’t know who pulled the trigger or why.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox appeared at a late-night press conference with FBI director Kash Patel and other officials, urging the public to come forward. “We need as much help as we can possibly get,” Cox said, noting that the FBI has already received more than 7,000 tips.
The newly released video shows a figure wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a long-sleeved black shirt sprinting across a roof, climbing down the side of a building, and fleeing into a neighborhood after the single fatal shot.
Investigators say they’ve found key evidence, including a palm print, a shoe impression, and a high-powered hunting rifle discarded in nearby woods. But no suspect has been named and no motive has been identified.
The FBI is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to the shooter’s arrest.
Kirk’s killing has intensified fears over political violence in the U.S., an issue that has touched both sides of the political spectrum. Leaders from both parties condemned the assassination.
Governor Cox warned about online misinformation, claiming foreign bots were spreading false narratives. “Our adversaries want violence,” he said. “Ignore them. Turn off those streams.” He also pledged to seek the death penalty for the killer.
Kirk’s body was flown back to Arizona aboard Air Force Two, with Vice President JD Vance accompanying his widow, Erika. Vance helped carry the casket off the plane, praising Kirk’s influence on Trump’s 2024 victory and his role in shaping the administration.
Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, based in Phoenix, called him a “leader, mentor, and friend” and asked for prayers for his wife and two young children.
Trump, who promised to award Kirk the Medal of Freedom posthumously, said investigators are making “big progress” but stopped short of revealing details about a motive. Hours after the attack, he delivered a video message from the Oval Office vowing to find those responsible.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity,” Trump said.
The next day, however, Trump struck a calmer tone, urging his supporters not to respond with violence. That shift came after an attack on a Kirk critic in Idaho during a vigil.
Some Republicans are already questioning Trump’s rhetoric. Don Bacon, a retiring congressman from Nebraska, told NBC News, “I wish Trump would unite the country after the shooting, but he’s a populist, and populists dwell on anger.”
He also reminded reporters that Democrats have been targeted too, pointing to the June murder of Minnesota’s former House speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband by a gunman with a hit list of Democrats.
