Everything we know so far about the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect as weapon found

Police believe they have found the weapon related to the killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who died after being shot during a debate event on a university campus. This is everything we know so far.

Kirk, a right-wing activist known for his gun rights advocacy and espousing anti-LGBTQ+ views, was holding one of his infamous ‘Prove Me Wrong’ debating events – which see university students challenge his political opinions – at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday (10 September).

During the event, which was part of his ‘America Comeback Tour’, Kirk was shot in the neck and later died in hospital.

What happened to Charlie Kirk?

In a video seen by PinkNews, Kirk was discussing trans shooters being involved in mass shootings – a transphobic, right-wing talking point and conspiracy theory – in the moments before he was shot.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” an audience member asked Kirk.

“Too many,” Kirk replied.

The audience member then asked a second question: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”

“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk countered with his own question.

A loud bang is then heard and Kirk jolted back in his chair, blood beginning to pour from his neck before he collapsed.

The college students who had come out to watch Kirk screamed and ducked in panic, running from the scene in different directions.

What do we know about the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect?

At the time of writing, the shooter remains at large and the hunt for the suspect continues.

During a press conference on Thursday (11 September) commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, Beau Mason, said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in well” with the university-age crowd at the event.

“We were able to track the movements of the shooter starting at 11:52 am,” Mason said, as quoted by Sky News.

“This subject arrived on campus shortly away from campus. 

“We have tracked his movements onto the campus through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof, to a shooting location.

“After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building and fled, off of the campus and into a neighbourhood.”

“We’re not releasing many details right now. We will soon. But right now, we’re not,” Mason added.

Mason also said the authorities are “confident in our abilities to track that individual” but if they are “unsuccessful in identifying them immediately, we will reach out for the public’s help and the media’s help in pushing those photos”.

The authorities previously said they believe the shooting was a “targeted” attack on Kirk and the weapon could have been aimed from the roof of a nearby academic building.

What is the weapon police found?

Also during the press briefing on Thursday, FBI agent Robert Bohls said officers had recovered a high-powered bolt action rifle which “we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting”.

“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analysing this weapon,” Bohls said, adding the FBI also found an “impression of a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis”.

Officials said they are also analysing a “footwear impression”.