The hunt for Charlie Kirk’s killer has entered a new stage as the FBI released the first images of a person of interest seen near the scene. The chilling photos show a college-age male in a baseball hat, sunglasses, and a black shirt emblazoned with the American flag, climbing the stairs to the rooftop where Kirk was fatally shot.
Investigators believe the gunman arrived on campus just before noon Wednesday. He blended in with the crowd before slipping into a stairwell and making his way to the roof of the Losee Center. From roughly 200 yards away, he fired a single round from a high-powered bolt-action rifle, striking Kirk in the neck as the 31-year-old conducted a Q&A session with students.
Graphic video showed Kirk slumping back as horrified attendees screamed. His wife Erika and their two young children, a daughter, 3, and a son, 16 months, were reportedly in the audience as the chaos unfolded.
Despite frantic efforts from staff and security to save him, Kirk died at the scene. President Donald Trump confirmed the news in a somber post, calling Kirk “The Great, and even Legendary.”
At a Thursday morning press conference, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators have obtained clear security footage showing the suspect’s movements. “We are confident in our ability to track that individual,” Mason told reporters, noting that the man fled the roof by jumping into a neighborhood.
Authorities initially held and released two different men in connection with the case, including 70-year-old George Zinn, who was taken from the scene in handcuffs, and a local student, Zach Qureshi. Both were quickly cleared, leaving the fugitive gunman still at large.
The FBI is now offering up to $100,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
The brazen assassination has already drawn fury from across the political spectrum. Utah Governor Spencer Cox branded the killing a “political assassination,” while social media lit up with tributes, theories, and anger. Billionaire Elon Musk directly blamed Democrats, and South Park even pulled an episode mocking Kirk in the immediate aftermath.
Meanwhile, conservatives continue to mourn the loss of one of their youngest and most influential figures. Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA as a teenager, leaves behind a sprawling political network, a massive online following, and a young family now facing life without him.
For now, the focus remains on finding the man whose grainy images are now plastered across FBI wanted posters.
“Any attack on the First Amendment is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy,” Bohls said. “That is why we will relentlessly pursue this case until the shooter is in custody.”
As agents chase leads and analyze evidence, the figure in the baseball cap and sunglasses has become the face of America’s most urgent manhunt.
