Nicholas
Bogel-Burroughs Devlin Barrett Tim Arango and Jack Healy
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09/11/us/charlie-kirk-shooting-news
Here’s
the latest.
The
authorities released on Thursday fresh video footage of a person sought in the
investigation into the assassination of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk,
as officials pleaded with the public for help in the intense manhunt for the
gunman that stretched on for more than 30 hours.
Gov.
Spencer Cox of Utah urged the public at a news conference in Orem to help the
authorities capture “this evil human being.” Mr. Cox appeared alongside the
F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, who arrived in Utah on Thursday evening to more
directly oversee the hunt for the person who fatally shot Mr. Kirk. Mr. Patel
did not speak at the news conference, and none of the officials took questions.
Mr. Cox
said prosecutors would pursue the death penalty once a suspect was caught. The
new footage showed a person racing across a roof after the shooting and
dropping down one floor to the ground. He then walked across a busy street and
disappeared into a wooded area, where investigators later found a rifle.
The
authorities earlier in the day released images of a “person of interest” they
are seeking in connection with the fatal shooting of Mr. Kirk, a close ally of
President Trump who was killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley
University the day before. The move indicates that the authorities have not
been able to identify the person through facial recognition or other
technology.
The
images released by the F.B.I. and the Utah police show a man in a stairwell
wearing a black shirt adorned with an eagle and an American flag, a baseball
cap and dark sunglasses. State and federal officials also said they had found a
bolt-action rifle used in the attack, as well as imprints of a forearm, a palm
and a shoe. Officials said they collected extensive forensic evidence,
including possible fingerprints and DNA on the edge of the building they
believe the gunman had left as he jumped down.
Investigators
were able to track the gunman’s movements as he climbed onto the roof of a
campus building, Beau Mason, Utah’s public safety chief, said at a news
conference. The F.B.I. has offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information
leading to the arrest of the shooter, and on Thursday evening, the authorities
said they had received more than 7,000 leads and tips. Governor Cox said the
F.B.I. had received more “digital media tips” than at any time since the Boston
Marathon bombing in 2013.
Here’s
what else to know:
The
gunman: Officials believe the attacker “blended in well” at the scene of the
shooting because he appeared to “be of college age.” They say the killer
arrived on campus shortly before noon Mountain time and used a stairway to make
his way to the roof of a university building. After the shooting, the person
fled to a nearby neighborhood, the police said. The gun used to kill Mr. Kirk,
a high-powered bolt-action rifle, was found in a wooded area near campus.
Last
question: The last person to speak to Mr. Kirk before his assassination was a
liberal TikToker who disagreed with Mr. Kirk on just about everything — except
for their shared belief in free speech and raw political debate. It was in that
spirit that Hunter Kozak, 29, attended Mr. Kirk’s rally at Utah Valley
University in Orem. He asked Mr. Kirk about mass shootings involving
transgender people, and the two went back and forth for a moment before the
shot rang out, killing Mr. Kirk. Read more ›
Vance
visit: Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, visited Salt Lake City
on Thursday afternoon and met with Mr. Kirk’s family. Mr. Kirk’s body and
casket were flown via Air Force Two to Phoenix, where his political
organization is based.
Light
security: Witnesses said there was little police presence and many
vulnerabilities at the open-air amphitheater where Wednesday’s event was held.
While 3,000 people attended, only six police officers and a small private
security team that traveled with Mr. Kirk were present, said Jeff Long, Utah
Valley University’s chief of police. Read more ›
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