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A day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University, the FBI Thursday released a new video showing a “possible person of interest” in the Charlie Kirk’s death case– the suspect seen running across a rooftop and fleeing into a wooded area.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox and state Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason urged the public to help catch the gunman, saying more than 7,000 tips have already come in — the most since the FBI received a surge of information after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, The New York Times reported.
According to reports, the suspect is believed to be a young man who disguised himself as a student to enter the campus before the shooting Wednesday. Photos show him in a black T-shirt with an eagle and an American flag, a black backpack, sunglasses and a baseball cap. Investigators obtained clues, including a palm print, a shoe impression and a high-powered hunting rifle found in a wooded area along the path the shooter fled. But they had yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing they were treating as the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States across the ideological spectrum.
The photos of a person in a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeve black shirt, with a backpack, as well as a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, suggested that law enforcement thought tips from the public might be needed to crack the case.
Authorities believe the shooter arrived on campus shortly before noon, used a stairwell to reach the roof, fired a single fatal shot at the 31-year-old Kirk, then climbed down and ran toward a nearby neighbourhood.
“This is a horrific crime, and we will pursue every piece of evidence necessary to seek the death penalty,” Mason said. He added, “We can start healing by finding this perpetrator and holding him accountable. And we need your help to do that.”
FBI Director Kash Patel flew in from Washington to oversee the investigation but did not speak during Thursday’s news briefing. He joined Mason earlier in the day for a tour of the crime scene.
Mason thanked the public for its prayers but cautioned against spreading false information. “I think Charlie said it best, that when things get bad, we should put our phones down and spend time with our families,” he said.
Kirk’s casket arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, Thursday, accompanied by US Vice President JD Vance. At Utah Valley University, flowers, flags and balloons were placed at a growing memorial, where Kirk’s cousins stood with signs calling him an “American hero” and declaring that free speech “cannot be killed.”
–With inputs from AP and NYT
