BURSTA manhunt was underway Thursday morning for the assassin who shot and killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a speaking event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday.
Police originally detained two individuals suspected to be connected to the shooting but later released them.
“We initially took in George Zinn as a suspect. He was later released and charged with obstruction by UVU police. A second suspect, Zachariah Qureshi, was taken into custody and released after interrogation with law enforcement,” Utah’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in a statement.
“There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,” DPS continued. “There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter.”
Authorities are encouraging people with information related to the shooting to share it with the FBI at a digital tip line: fbi.gov/UtahValleyShooting.
Utah DPS said all law enforcement involved are “working multiple active crime scenes,” which were identified “based on where the victim was shot, as well as the locations where the suspect and victim traveled.”
State authorities also noted that they believe the suspect fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the campus courtyard.
Utah DPS say the shooting “is believed to be a targeted attack.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) called the incident a “political assassination.”
The incident sent a shockwave through the conservative movement, with Kirk's sudden and public death eliciting emotional reactions from some of the country’s most prominent figures on the right, including President Trump.
Vice President Vance, who considered the Turning Point USA co-founder a close friend, is expected to travel to Utah on Thursday to pay his respects to Kirk's family, a source familiar with the plans told The Hill.