The FBI has given an update on its investigation into the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Special agent Robert Bohls confirmed that a weapon believed to be that of the sniper has been located.
The weapon was located in a wooded area where the sniper is thought to have escaped after the attack.
Bohls described the weapon as a high-powered bolt-action rifle. Investigators believe it’s the “weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting.”
The rifle contained ammunition engraved with “transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” according to preliminary reports from law enforcement sources.
The FBI has released an update on Charlie Kirk’s case
Image credits: Getty/The Salt Lake Tribune
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recently released a pair of images of a “person of interest” in the case: a young man wearing a cap, sunglasses, jeans, and a long-sleeve t-shirt with an image of the United States flag.
Kirk was assassinated while giving a talk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (September 10). A massive manhunt for the sniper is currently underway.
The FBI is reportedly analyzing a “footwear impression, a palm print and a forearm imprint,” as per the BBC.
Investigators urged witnesses to send videos and photos of the university event. Bohls said they have already received 130 tips from the public.
Bohls added that the attacker is believed to be male and “appears to be of college age.”
A rifle believed to have been used by the attacker has been found
Kirk’s assassin may have already escaped to a different state, according to a retired FBI agent.
The sniper reportedly fired the bullet that hit Kirk’s neck from the top of the university’s Losee Center Building, about 200 yards from where the victim was seated.
“If you come off that roof — and I’ve seen the drone footage of this — there’s an open-air parking lot behind that building,” retired FBI supervising agent James Gagliano told Fox & Friends.
An official said the suspected Charlie Kirk assassin was “dressed in all black” and that the single shot may have come “from a rooftop.” pic.twitter.com/B3hLWlGNVx
— Daily Gist ✰ (@the_dailygist) September 10, 2025
The strategic location would allow the sniper to be “in a vehicle on his way out and miles and miles away” only three to five minutes after firing their weapon.
Gagliano noted that Provo Municipal Airport is only 45 minutes away from the crime scene, so the attacker could have easily left Utah for a different state.
A nationwide manhunt for the sniper is underway
After reviewing CCTV footage, investigators said they believed the suspect was “dressed in dark clothing.”
In a video taken by an eyewitness, a dark figure appears to jump up and run across a rooftop as people in the crowd duck for their safety.
Gagliano explained that the fatal shot didn’t require a professional sniper given the short distance between the bullet and the victim.
🚨🇺🇸 There are multiple videos of Charlie Kirk’s at-large ASSASSIN ON A ROOF
The man who was arrested was a patsy
This was a professional, well-organized hit pic.twitter.com/8ovvyFqKNH
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) September 10, 2025
“People are suggesting this was a professional hit. And yet from that distance, we’re talking a little over 500 feet, just short of 200 yards, that’s not a tough shot with a rifle, if this suspect had a scope,” the retired agent said, adding that it was a “very easy shot.”
US Army Sgt. Nicholas Ranstad, an elite American sharpshooter, agreed that anyone could have fired the weapon.
Ranstad said the university didn’t hire enough security to protect the high-profile speaker, making the campus “a buffet for someone who wanted to k*ll someone.”
The conservative activist was assassinated while giving a talk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday
According to UVU Police Chief Jeff Long, his department had six officers at Kirk’s event alongside the activist’s personal security team.
Ranstad said the low number of security guards may have incentivized the sniper to carry out the attack. “When you have events like that, you look at the security, if you push 250, 300 yards, it’s an easy shot.
“Not to mention out in the open, wind is low out in the country. It’s not like in the city, where a bullet flying past the buildings will move more.”
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
Utah Valley University’s student newspaper, the UVU Review, reported the campus had a “divided opinion” on Kirk speaking at the institution. Some students launched an online petition asking administrators to stop him from coming, as per ABC News.
In response, the university reportedly issued a statement on September 3 titled Free Expression and Neutrality, in which they said they didn’t “take official positions on political, social, or cultural controversies unless they directly impact our mission, operations, or core values.”
‘CHILLING’: @JamesAGagliano breaks down the manhunt for Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk’s assassin. pic.twitter.com/QASmumfkVt
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) September 11, 2025
The fatal attack took place at around 12:20 local time. The father of two could be seen recoiling in his chair, with blood visible on his neck, before the crowd began running and screaming.
The pro-life activist was giving a talk during the first stop of his Prove Me Wrong (The American Comeback) Tour in front of 3,000 people. His wife Erika and their two young children were watching him speak.
Investigators have described the suspect as a man “of college age” dressed in dark clothing
Kirk was rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle. Hours later, US President Donald Trump, one of his close allies, confirmed his passing in a post on Truth Social.
On social media, netizens are sharing their reactions to the man behind the high-profile crime. “Is this an American flag and bald eagle on his shirt? I can’t make out what is on his hat,” one person wrote.
“America sees you. No escape,” said another user. Meanwhile, a third said, “Something smells fishy” about the case.
“Track him down fast, he needs to be interrogated soon, and thoroughly at that!” a separate user added. “I’m certain more people were in on it too.”
Anyone who might be able to identify the man is being asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit a tip digitally.
“Someone in that school knows who he is,” one commenter suggested
