US Politics

Kirk murder: FBI publishes photo of wanted man. $100,000 bounty

According to investigators, Kirk's alleged killer ''camouflaged himself well'' among University of Utah students because he ''appears to be of college age''

11 September 2025

Chi era Charlie Kirk, l'attivista conservatore star dei social

5' min read

In America, the investigation of the attack on Charlie Kirk, which cost the life of the young activist of Maga (a movement close to Donald Trump), is proceeding, although initially in slow motion. The FBI released a photo of the man wanted for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk yesterday at Utah Valley University. 'We are asking the public to help us identify this person of interest,' reads a post on X. There is a 100 thousand dollar reward for those who help track down the killer.

In the meantime, it has been reported that initials have been found engraved on the ammunition used by the gunman, which investigators are now trying to match with a first and last name, in the hope that this clue will help identify the shooter. This was reported by CNN citing sources.

The media also report that Charlie Kirk's coffin will return to Phoneix, in the state of Arizona where he lived, aboard the Air Force Twowith Vice President JD Vance. According to the same sources Vance will meet in the coming hours with Kirk's family in Utah, where he was killed.

Investigations

More than 130 reports arrived in the morning alone to FBI investigators looking into the killing of Charlie Kirk. "Let me assure you that we thoroughly investigate all leads and reports," said Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Salt Lake City. "Anyone in possession of video or images of the shooting will provide them to the FBI," he reiterated.

Among the concrete advances in the ongoing investigation is the murder weapon. Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI, stated at a press conference that Kirk's killer is believed to have used a high-powered bolt-action rifle. "The rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the killer fled, Bohls added. The weapon will be analysed by the FBI lab. Investigators have also collected 'footwear impressions, palm prints, and forearm prints for analysis,' Bohls pointed out. Investigators are also in possession of foot, palm and forearm prints of the alleged Kirk killer and are examining them.

"Kirk's college-aged killer, there's a video"

The investigators, in small steps, are therefore closing the circle, gathering useful elements to identify Kirk's killer who, underlined the agents involved in the manhunt, ''camouflaged himself well'' among the students of the University of Utah because he ''appears to be of university age''. At a press conference, Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, explained that there is ''good video'' of the murder suspect. ''We are confident in our ability to track that individual down,'' he added. ''If we can't identify him immediately, we will ask for help from the public and the media by releasing the images'' that authorities are in possession of, Mason added, stating that ''we're doing everything we can to find him'' but ''we're still not sure how far he's come''.

Suspects apprehended and immediately released

The investigation in the first hours after the bombing was inconclusive. Two people initially detained on suspicion of the Kirk bombing were later released because neither had 'current ties to the shooting', the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement. One person was charged with obstructing university police, as announced earlier during a press conference, but the department did not explain why either person was considered a suspect. 'Investigations and a manhunt are underway to locate the killer,' it said.

"We initially detained George Zinn as a suspect. He was later released and charged with obstruction by Utah Valley University police. A second suspect, Zachariah Qureshi, was taken into custody and released after questioning by law enforcement. Neither individual has any connection to the shooting. 'The investigation and manhunt for the perpetrator of the attack is still ongoing,' reads the statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Tanner Maxwell, a student at the university's business school, was filming the crowd gathered to hear Kirk's speech. "Just as I pressed the button to start recording I heard the shot," Maxwell told WP.

A single shot from the roof of the Losee Centre

The footage was widely circulated in the evening of Wednesday 10 September, showing a figure on the roof of the building dubbed Losee Center barely visible. Enlarged and stabilised, the video shows a person who appears to be wearing dark clothing and running for about two seconds before stepping out of the frame as the camera pans. The rooftop is about 140 metres from where Kirk had just been shot.

The bomber fired one shot, according to Beau Mason, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, who said it was 'a targeted attack on an individual'. The department believes the bomber fired from the roof of a building. Kirk was shot while answering a question about mass shootings. After being shot, Kirk was transported "by private vehicle" to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he died, authorities reported.

Assassinio di Charlie Kirk, Trump: E' un momento buio per l'America

The reactions

"This is a dark time for America," says Donald Trump in the video on Truth, in which he pays tribute to Kirk killed in what he called "a heinous act". "It is time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are a tragic consequence of demonising those with whom you disagree, day after day, year after year," he says, calling Kirk "America's finest." The president will phone Kirk's family later today.

Trump's is not the only reaction. "We must all be free to debate openly and freely, without fear: there can be no justification for political violence," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer commenting on X on the killing of right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk. From Starmer words of condolence and sympathy to his family.

"We are shocked by the news of the killing of Charlie Kirk, a young and followed Republican activist. A heinous murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom,' Premier Giorgia Meloni said on social media. 'My condolences to his family, his loved ones and the American conservative community.

"I am saddened and angry about the murder of Charlie Kirk. We all need to do some serious introspection, redoubling our efforts to address the debate passionately, but peacefully. Hillary and I pray for Erika, their two young children and their family'. Thus on X former US President Bill Clinton..

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was ''appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk'', the American conservative activist killed yesterday in what police called ''a targeted attack'' on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. ''There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy,'' Carney wrote in 'X'. ''My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones,'' he concluded.