A manhunt for the shooter who killed Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA and an ally of President Trump, has dragged into its second day.
“Historically on 9/11 law enforcement has come together as a group to recognize and honor those that sacrificed to preserve the ideal for this country, the freedoms of this country,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said during a press conference Thursday morning.
“Instead, we find ourselves today hunting a murderer who chose to violate our rights, the rights of an individual within this country.”
Kirk was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour,” set to include his popular “prove me wrong” table. He was struck by a single bullet during the outdoor event on the Orem campus and rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. He was 31 years old.
Trump in a social media post on Thursday blamed the political violence on Democrats, but he urged all Americans “to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
“For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” the President continued. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
Video of the shooting posted on social media shows Kirk seated in a tent when the sound of gunfire rings out, sending the crowds into chaos. The father of two can then be seen recoiling as blood begins to flow from the left side of his neck. Police said the shooter fired from a distance, likely from on top of a building, and then slipped away amid the hoards of screaming students, desperate to escape the Utah Valley University campus.
More than 3,000 people were estimated to be at the event, according to the university’s police chief, Jeff Long. Aauthorities still managed to track the shooter’s movements as he dashed down the stairs and fled from campus to a nearby neighborhood, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls. While the gunman did escape, Bohls noted a high-powered, bolt-action rifle, believed to be the murder weapon, was found in the area.
A footwear impression and a palm print were also recovered.
In wake of the deadly violence, officials said they had taken two people into custody and later released them.
“There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals,” the Utah Department of Public Safety, which is among the agencies investigating, said. “There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter.”
As of Thursday morning, no suspect has been identified.
“We do have good video of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time,” Beau told reporters Thursday. “We’re working through some technologies and some ways to identity this individual.
“If we are unsuccessful, we will reach out to you as the media and we will push that publicly to help us identify them. But we are confident in our abilities right now.”
With News Wire Services
