FBI Recovered ‘High-Powered’ Rifle Linked to Charlie Kirk Shooting

Federal investigators have recovered what they believe is the rifle used to kill conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event in Utah, officials said Thursday, as the manhunt for the shooter entered its second day.

Robert Bohls, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City field office, said the high-powered bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area near Utah Valley University, where the gunman fled after the attack. The weapon is being examined at the bureau’s laboratory, along with other evidence that includes footwear impressions and palm prints collected at the scene.

Authorities said the shooter appeared to be of college age and was able to blend into the campus before climbing to a rooftop firing position. Investigators tracked his movements through security footage as he entered a stairwell, crossed the roof and later jumped from the building to escape into a nearby neighborhood.

Investigators recovered an older imported Mauser bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus, along the route the gunman took while fleeing, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The weapon still held the spent cartridge from a single shot as well as three unfired rounds in its magazine. The cartridges had engraved wording expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology, the person said.

The gun has been turned over to the FBI for DNA and fingerprint analysis.

The FBI has received more than 130 tips and appealed for additional photos or videos from the public. Bohls said the bureau is treating the case as an attack on free speech.

“Any attack on the First Amendment is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy,” he said.

Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason cautioned against speculation after two people initially questioned were cleared of involvement. He said both had faced harassment once their names circulated.

“They were not suspects,” Mason said. “They don’t deserve that scrutiny for being subject to the investigative process.”

Mason said Kirk’s body had been transferred to the state medical examiner’s office and would be returned to his family Thursday. He called the killing “heinous” and said it didn’t reflect Utah’s traditions of service and community.

Kirk, 31, executive director of Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday as he spoke at an outdoor student event before a crowd of more than 3,000. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The shooting drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. Trump called Kirk “a patriot” and ordered flags lowered nationwide. He said he will talk to Kirk’s family Thursday afternoon.

Vice President JD Vance wrote that Kirk had played a central role in his political career. Former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama also denounced the violence and offered condolences.

Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and built it into a prominent force in conservative politics with hundreds of campus chapters. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

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