Utah authorities have released new video of the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing and renewed pleas for the public’s help in bringing the shooter to justice.
The video shows a person lying “prone” on the corner of a campus building’s roof before getting up, running across the roof and dropping down onto the lawn, all while carrying a backpack.
“The suspect, after dropping off the building, moved around across this grass area around the parking lot,” said Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, who narrated the video on a large screen during a news conference.
Despite the attention to detail, authorities did not identify the suspect seen in the video or offer details about the person, other than the physical description shown in the video and photos they had released.
Newly arrived FBI chief Kash Patel did not speak during the news conference, and officials did not take questions from the media.
Here’s where the investigation stands:
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“Distinctive” appearance: The released images show the suspect wearing a “very distinctive” black t-shirt featuring an American flag and what appears to be an eagle. The suspect also wears sunglasses, a hat with a triangle on it, jeans, Converse sneakers and a black backpack. Earlier in the day, authorities said the shooter “appears to be of college age” and blended in well on campus.
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Palm impressions and shoe prints: The suspect’s hands left impressions as they climbed off the roof, authorities said, and investigators are looking to collect potential DNA from smudges left there. A shoe imprint also suggests the suspect was wearing Converse shoes, Mason said.
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Another new video: Footage obtained by CNN shows a person matching the suspect’s description walking in a residential area near the Utah Valley University campus before the shooting.
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Rifle recovered: Authorities used the video they released yesterday to track the suspect’s path to a wooded area where they recovered the firearm believed to have been used to kill Kirk. The rifle recovered was a Mauser bolt-action .30-06 caliber rifle equipped with a long-distance scope, according to a senior law enforcement official. Audio captured near the podium where Kirk was speaking suggests he was killed by a single supersonic gunshot, according to an audio forensics expert.
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Markings on ammunition: Investigators are analyzing engravings found on a spent shell casing and three chambered rounds found inside the rifle, sources said. Agents preliminarily interpreted the markings as “expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” but that information remains unverified and is still being investigated. Authorities have not yet determined a motive in the killing.
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Student saw man on roof: A Utah Valley student told CNN they saw a man walking on or near the roof of the Losee Center twice in two weeks. The student called the man’s behavior “weird” and said a professor who was also there called out to ask if the man was okay.
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Death penalty to be pursued: Officials will pursue the death penalty once the suspect is found, the governor said.
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Reward for info: The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for any information that leads to the identification and arrest of the shooter. Authorities received more than 7,000 “leads and tips,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, adding that investigators have conducted nearly 200 interviews.
