BURST
Authorities say they believe they have recovered the rifle used to assassinate Charlie Kirk.
The political influencer was fatally shot at an event on Wednesday at approximately 12:20 p.m. MT at Utah Valley University, according to officials . He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Speaking to media on Thursday morning, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bowles said authorities are in possession of a high-powered, bolt-action rifle. It was located in a wooded area where the suspect had fled, he said. The FBI will be analyzing the weapon, as well as a footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints.
The suspect “blended in well with a college institution,” Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said.
“We were able to track the movements of the shooter,” Mason said. “Starting at 11:52 a.m., the subject arrived … shortly away from campus. We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof to a shooting location.”
After the shooting, Mason said the suspect jumped off the roof and fled.
Authorities are combing through video surveillance from the campus and neighbourhoods nearby.
Two suspects released from custody
“Shortly after the shooting, we did have a suspect in custody…but he was released from custody after we identified that he did not match the shooting suspect and was not an accurate person of interest,” said Mason at a news conference on Wednesday.
The man identified as George Zinn was charged with obstruction of justice, but no further details were released. He was described by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill as odd but overall harmless, “more of a gadfly,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported . His criminal history dates back to the 1980s.
In a news release , authorities said a second suspect “was taken into custody and released after interrogation with law enforcement.”
Both of those suspects have “no current ties to the shooting.”
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed Mason’s message, in a post on X. He confirmed that a person in custody had since been released after interrogation. “Our investigation continues,” he said.
The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency https://t.co/YXsG6YpFR5
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 10, 2025
A Canadian man had been accused of being a suspect on social media amid the chaos following the murder, the New York Times reported.
The man, 77-year-old Michael Mallinson, was in Toronto at the time of the shooting. He told the publication he was “shocked” when he found out that posts online with his photo alleged that he was Kirk’s killer.
The Orem Police Department, the authorities in the city where the university is located, shared a link to an FBI digital tip line, where witnesses or anyone with information can share it with authorities.
How it unfolded
On Wednesday, Kirk was kicking off his tour, which involves him going to university campuses across the United States to host debates with students about issues ranging from gun control to abortions and religion. It was called The American Comeback Tour , and the university in Orem, UT was his first stop.
Hours before the shooting, a video posted to his TikTok account showed a massive crowd of cheering students and attendees with Kirk sitting at a table with a microphone in hand. Authorities said the event was attended by 3,000 people.
“The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack,” according to authorities. “The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard.”
The university’s police department had six officers at the event. Kirk also had his own security detail.
Speaking at the news conference Wednesday, Mason said that only one shot was fired by the suspect and Kirk was the only victim.
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