Charlie Kirk: Killer still at large, motive uncertain; FBI releases photo with $100,000 reward

The FBI’s Salt Lake City field office has released images of a person of interest linked to the shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Two photos posted on X show an individual wearing black sunglasses, a baseball cap, a long-sleeved black shirt, and jeans.

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.
1-800-CALL-FBI
Digital media tips: https://t.co/K7maX81TjJ pic.twitter.com/ALuVkTXuDc

— FBI Salt Lake City (@FBISaltLakeCity) September 11, 2025

Authorities are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the person in relation to the attack that took place on Wednesday at Utah Valley University.

Earlier in the day, the FBI said it has recovered a weapon believed to have been used in the fatal shooting of Kirk as the search for the suspect continues.

According to The Guardian report, Robert Coles, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office, told reporters that a “high-powered bolt-action rifle” was found in a wooded area where the suspected shooter had fled.

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“The rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” Coles was quoted as saying, adding that the FBI laboratory is currently analysing the weapon.

In addition to the firearm, investigators have collected several pieces of physical evidence from the scene, including “footwear impressions, a palm print, and forearm imprints,” which are also being analysed, Coles said.

Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative commentator and close ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday in what Utah Governor Spencer Cox described as a “political assassination.”

Kirk, known for his role in mobilising young Republican voters and as the co-founder and president of Turning Point USA, was speaking onstage at an outdoor event titled ‘Prove Me Wrong at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City. The event drew a crowd of approximately 3,000 people.

Graphic video footage of the incident quickly circulated online. According to FBI and state officials, the shooter arrived on campus just minutes before the event began and was captured on security cameras climbing stairwells to access a nearby rooftop, from where he fired a single fatal shot.

Kirk was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead hours later. His killing has sparked widespread condemnation and renewed warnings over escalating political violence — with expressions of outrage coming from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as several foreign governments.