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Charlie Kirk shooting suspect: Five clues emerge in hunt for rooftop gunman
The FBI has released footage and photos of a suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Five clues have emerged in the search for the suspect.
The FBI has released a series of footage and photos of the suspect, whom they believe is responsible for the shooting of Conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, fleeing the scene. The 31-year-old was shot at Utah Valley University, which has been called a “political assassination," as reported by The Mirror.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox shared that 7,000 leads and tips have been submitted by the public so far. A $100,000 reward has been announced for sharing tips that would lead to an arrest.
Utah's Department of Public Safety shared four photographs of the suspected gunman. The suspect is believed to be of college age, wearing a black, full-sleeved T-shirt bearing the American Flag and dark sunglasses, as reported by The Mirror. In addition, he was also wearing the Converse trainers and a baseball cap.
Five clues emerge in hunt for Charlie Kirk's shooting suspect
The following are five clues that have emerged in the search for the suspected gunman, and the FBI hopes will facilitate the hunt, as reported by The Mirror.
Investigators revealed that a palm print was left behind after he was seen lying in the top left corner of the building, then ran to the extreme right corner, climbed down, and dropped off the edge.
In addition to the palm print, the FBI also confirmed that a “footwear impression” and a forearm imprint were discovered, which may help in the investigation. Commissioner of Utah's Department of Public Safety, Beau Mason, revealed that the suspect "appears to be of college age." He added, “We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells up to the roof, across the roof to a shooting location.”
Amid a wooded area of the campus, the officers recovered a “high-powered, bolt action rifle” that they believe was used by the suspect. The rifle was found covered with a towel and with a spent cartridge in the chamber, according to the authorities. The New York Times suggested that it was an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle.
The ammunition recovered by the officers was engraved with “transgender and anti-fascist ideology," according to an internal police memo. There were three remaining rounds, which were all engraved with writings. However, the authorities stated that the message could be “misread or misinterpreted,” as per The Mirror.
According to the authorities, the investigators believe that the shooter blended with the crowd because of the “college-age” appearance and fired a single shot from the rooftop. According to the video released on Thursday, the suspect was seen walking through the grass and across he street before disappearing.
Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City, said, “I can tell you this was a targeted event.” A retired FBI agent, Brad Garret, suggested that the shooting details were planned till the very end, including discarding the gun along the suspect's escape path.
