Charlie Kirk Shooter Manhunt

The FBI released photographs of a "person of interest" in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and offered a $100,000 reward as authorities search for the gunman.

Kirk, 31, led Turning Point USA, the most influential conservative youth organization in the country. On Wednesday, he was holding an event at Utah Valley University to kick off his nationwide "American Comeback Tour." Moments before the shooting, Kirk was answering a student's question about transgender Americans and mass shootings. Footage from the event captured a single gunshot ringing out as Kirk fell back after being shot in the neck. Kirk was rushed to the hospital but passed away roughly an hour later. Kirk leaves behind a wife and two children.

The FBI released grainy photographs on Thursday showing what they called a "person of interest" wearing dark sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a black long-sleeved shirt with what appeared to be an American flag image.

Authorities said they had obtained additional video footage of the suspect, described as "college age," which they had not released to the public, but contradicts initial reports that the shooter was an older man. Utah's public safety commissioner said the shooter "blended in well" on campus and appeared to be of college age based on security footage that showed the suspect climbing stairwells to reach the roof and, after firing the fatal shot, jumping from the building and fleeing.

The FBI announced that investigators recovered a "high-powered, bolt-action rifle" in a wooded area near the shooting site, which they believed was used in the attack. Federal officials said the weapon was an older-model Mauser rifle with several cartridges including a spent round in the rifle's chamber. A preliminary report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives showed that the rifle's ammunition bore messages "expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology," though people familiar with the investigation told outlets that the engravings and their meaning were still being analyzed.

Both Democrats and Republicans condemned the shooting, with California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) calling the attack "vile, and reprehensible." President Trump announced Thursday at a Pentagon 9/11 memorial ceremony that he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vice President Vance canceled his planned 9/11 memorial appearance in New York to travel to Utah to meet with Kirk's family and accompany them and Kirk's casket to Phoenix on Air Force Two. The Secret Service announced increased law enforcement presence at public events, including Thursday's Yankees game, where Trump appeared.