CHARLIE Kirk’s sniper blended in with crowds of students by donning a patriotic shirt designed for disabled veterans in a brazen move to slip away unnoticed.
Photos released by the FBI show the gunman in a National Disabled Veterans Foundation T-shirt emblazoned with an eagle soaring in front of the Stars and Stripes.
The suspect, described as a male ‘of college age’, was seen wearing a black cap and long-sleeve shirt with the American flag and eagle[/caption]
Charlie Kirk speaking to students moments before getting shot[/caption]
The patriotic shirt is stamped with the words “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.”
Investigators say the distinctive top helped him melt into the sea of flag-waving fans after gunning down the MAGA firebrand at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
Chilling CCTV captured the killer, described as a male who “appears to be of college age,” sprinting across the roof of the Lossee Center seconds after firing the fatal shot.
He then lowered himself off the edge, leaving behind a palm print and shoe impression, before strolling off campus with students.
Moments later, he slipped into a wooded area where police later found a high-powered bolt action rifle believed to be the murder weapon.
What we know so far:
- Charlie Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University
- The FBI released pictures of a ‘person of interest’ wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and sunglasses
- Chilling CCTV shows sniper jump from roof and escape
- Kirk’s wife Erika is ‘devastated’, Trump says after emotional phone call
- Brave Erika is seen for the first time alongside JD Vance
- Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Medal of Freedom
- Kirk was warned about safety just months before being killed
- Elon Musk blamed Democrats for the assassination
- Eyewitness reveals horror details of fatal shot moment
FBI agent Robert Bohls said on Thursday: “I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday’s shooting… is a high-powered bolt action rifle.
“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. The FBI laboratory will be analysing this weapon.”
Officials also recovered a footwear impression, palm print, and forearm imprints at the scene.
But Beau Mason, Utah’s public safety chief, admitted: “We have no idea about the suspect’s identity or where he may be located.”
The killer, last seen in the eagle-emblazoned shirt, sunglasses, and a black cap, remains on the run.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said more than 7,000 tips have flooded in, with 200 interviews already conducted.
He urged the public to keep coming forward, vowing prosecutors would seek the death penalty once the suspect is caught.
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now,” he said.
Kirk’s final moments
Charlie Kirk, a father-of-two and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck as he launched his “American Comeback” campus tour.
The 31-year-old was rushed to hospital but died shortly after.
The conservative heavyweight was a towering figure in US politics, with millions of followers and a pivotal role in rallying young voters for Donald Trump during last year’s election.
Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
11:52 am MDT – The shooter, described as a college-age individual, arrives on campus before maneuvering onto a rooftop.
12:00 pm – Charlie Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.
12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.
1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.
1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.
1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.
2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.
4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.
4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released.
7:59 pm – Patel, the FBI director, confirmed a second subject taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.
September 11
7:15 am – Officials hold a press conference where they announce they have “good video” of the suspect and they recovered the “high-action bolt rifle” in the nearby woods.
Tributes have poured in, led by Trump himself at a 9/11 memorial in Virginia.
The US President said: “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.
“Our prayers are with his wonderful wife, Erika, and his beautiful children.”
Trump branded the gunman “a total animal,” and said the FBI was making “big progress.”
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah[/caption]
A drone view shows where the shooter perched on a rooftop as he fatally shot Charlie Kirk[/caption]
Pictures published by the New York Post appear to show the rifle used to kill Kirk[/caption]
Kirk’s body was flown home to Arizona on Air Force Two Thursday, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance.
He cancelled a 9/11 commemoration at Ground Zero to stand by grieving widow Erika’s side.
The former Miss Arizona, who shared two children with Kirk, was seen clutching a rosary as she watched her husband’s coffin carried from the plane.
Vance paid tribute online, writing: “Charlie was constantly calling and texting, checking on our family and offering guidance and prayers. With Charlie, the attitude was never, ‘I told you so.’ But: ‘welcome.’”
A date for the funeral has not yet been set, but Trump has confirmed he will attend after posthumously awarding Kirk the Medal of Freedom.
US Vice President JD Vance, his wife Usha and Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika Frantzve exit Air Force Two[/caption]
A memorial is held for Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed in Utah, at the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona[/caption]
