Authorities released new video of the person of interest in conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s killing, showing the suspected gunman climbing down from the roof of a building on the campus of Utah Valley University where they believe he fired the fatal shot and walking away from the scene.
The video was played during a news conference Thursday evening with state and federal officials. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made a plea to the public for tips to help identify and locate “this evil human.”
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now,” Cox said.
He said state officials are already moving to pursue a death penalty case if the case goes to trial.
The FBI said it is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for Kirk’s murder.
FBI Director Kash Patel appeared alongside the governor but did not address reporters nor take questions.
Shortly before the news conference, Utah authorities released new photos of the person of interest in the shooting, in which the individual can be seen on steps while carrying a black backpack and wearing a shirt with what appeared to be an American flag print on it.
The head of Utah Department of Public Safety said the suspect was wearing “distinct clothing” that could help in identifying the suspect, including Converse sneakers.
He said the person seen in the video jumping from the roof left shoe impressions and a palm print.
So far authorities have received more than 7,000 tips and leads and completed some 200 interviews, the governor said.
Earlier Thursday, the FBI’s Salt Lake City office released two initial images of the individual, who is wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses and was captured in a stairwell in one of them.
The screenshots were pulled from campus security footage just before the shooting, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
‘High-powered’ firearm recovered
Amid the manhunt for the suspect, who is believed to be college-aged, officials said Thursday they are working “around the clock” to locate the individual.
The FBI also said Thursday it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used in the deadly shooting. A “high-powered bolt action rifle” was recovered in a wooded area near where the shooting took place, according to Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls.
The rifle is an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News. The location of the firearm appears to match the suspect’s route of travel, the sources said.
The spent cartridge was still chambered and three unspent cartridges contained wording on them expressing what some law enforcement officials described as “transgender and anti-fascist” writing, according to preliminary information shared with agencies. It’s unclear what that means and authorities are still working to determine the meaning or whether the markings were intended as misdirection for investigators.
The gun and cartridges recovered are to be flown to the FBI’s main laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for the most technologically advanced forensic analysis, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The focus is to look for any latent fingerprints and DNA, the sources said. Upon completion of forensics, the firearm will be disassembled for additional importer information.
Tracking the shooter’s movements
Officials said they have been able to track the movements of the shooter and have “good” video footage of the individual, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said on Thursday. The video footage will not be released to the public at this time, Mason said.
At 11:52 a.m. on Wednesday, the suspect arrived on the Orem campus and then proceeded to travel through the stairwells up to the roof of a building near the where the outdoors event was taking place, before the suspect fired down at Kirk, Mason said.