The FBI has released photos of a “person of interest” tied to the assassination of the right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah on Wednesday.
The grainy photos, seemingly from a security camera, show a man wearing a long-sleeve black shirt that features an American flag. He is wearing glasses, jeans, a hat, and a bookbag.
“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,” posted the FBI’s office in Salt Lake City.
The person of interest appears to be walking up stairs near another individual in one of the photos released. Police said Wednesday that they were able to use security footage to track the gunman’s movements onto the campus and through a stairwell, which was used to access the roof of the building from which he opened fire.
The person of interest’s face seems stoic in both of the shared images.
The FBI has yet to arrest anyone in the slaying of Kirk, who was 31. The bureau announced on Thursday afternoon that it was offering a reward of $100,000 “for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
An FBI official said earlier in the day that the gunman escaped into a wooded area—where a bolt-action rifle was ditched, reportedly wrapped in a towel—and into a neighborhood.
Videos circulating online showed a person on a rooftop about 200 yards from where Kirk was speaking to hundreds of students in a courtyard on the campus of Utah Valley University. Officials have confirmed Kirk’s killer opened fire from an elevated position.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday night that the bureau had taken a suspect into custody. However, he later said the person had been released from custody and was not involved.
Bullets recovered after the shooting were engraved with “transgender and antifascist ideology,” a law enforcement source told The Wall Street Journal, which also cited “an internal law enforcement bulletin.
The paper reported that the ammunition was found inside a .30 caliber hunting rifle that was ditched in a wooded area. Officials have yet to address the reported bullet casings.
Kirk had been talking to a crowd of hundreds of students about transgender issues and mass shootings when he was struck in the neck by a bullet. He was rushed to a hospital by a private vehicle, but President Donald Trump announced his death about two-and-a-half hours after the single gunshot was fired.
