The investigation into the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk continued Friday as federal and state authorities sifted thousands of public tips, released additional images of a person of interest and confirmed recovery of a rifle believed to have been used in the shooting. Kirk, 31, was shot once in the neck while speaking outdoors at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday, an attack state leaders and national figures have denounced as a political assassination. Authorities said the gunman reached a rooftop overlooking the event before firing and fleeing; by late Thursday, the shooter had not been identified or apprehended.
Officials have said security footage shows a slender, college-aged male ascending a stairwell to access the roof minutes before the attack and later climbing down and moving toward a wooded area near campus. Investigators announced they had recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle in that area, and they urged the public to review surveillance clips and mobile phone videos for anything that might help identify the suspect. The FBI offered a reward and distributed still images and video of the person of interest in a dark hat, sunglasses and long-sleeve top. Utah’s governor pleaded for help at a Thursday briefing: “We cannot do our job without the public’s help right now.”
As the manhunt stretched into a third day, officials underscored the volume of digital evidence and leads now arriving at the command post. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said investigators had received more than 7,000 tips and conducted nearly 200 interviews as local, state and federal agencies worked through the flood of material. Authorities also released video appearing to show a man climbing off the roof in the moments after the shot, crossing a street and heading into trees. Cox said Utah would pursue the case as a death-penalty matter once a suspect is arrested and charged, though prosecutors have not yet discussed any potential motive.
The attack unfolded roughly 20 minutes into a campus stop on Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour,” a format where he invites debate from students. Video recorded by attendees shows a single crack, Kirk slumping and chaos as the crowd scattered from the white pop-up tent at center stage. Investigators have not publicly confirmed the caliber of the round fired from the rooftop, beyond describing the recovered weapon as a bolt-action rifle. That detail has featured prominently in online arguments over the shooting but, as of Friday morning, had not been tied by investigators to a specific model or make in the public record.
The shooting immediately ignited a wave of national reaction and, in parallel, a familiar flood of misinformation. Local outlets warned about AI-“enhanced” suspect photos circulating on social platforms that fabricated details not present in official images, including altered clothing insignia and accessories; at least one Utah sheriff’s office shared such an image before acknowledging it was AI-generated. In its review of the online aftermath, Reuters cataloged false arrests, recycled crime videos mislabeled as connected to the Kirk case, and miscaptioned headlines purporting to show the media had advance notice of the killing—claims the outlets involved rejected and independent archives contradicted. Investigators asked the public to rely on official channels for updates and to avoid spreading unverified images.
From the White House to state capitols, elected officials condemned the attack. President Donald Trump, who had long counted Kirk as a political ally, called the shooting “heinous” and said he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In remarks Thursday tied to a 9/11 observance, Trump praised the Turning Point USA founder as “a giant of his generation,” adding that he had spoken with Kirk’s wife, Erika Frantzve. The president first confirmed Kirk’s death publicly in a social-media post soon after the shooting.
Law enforcement and campus officials, meanwhile, continued to press for patience. Utah public-safety leaders said forensic teams had recovered palm prints from the rooftop and shoe impressions thought to match Converse sneakers visible in surveillance images. The FBI said it was cross-checking those impressions against tips arriving through its call center and online portal. Investigators also asked businesses near the UVU campus to retain footage from the day of the attack and to provide high-resolution copies to the task force.
The killing has rattled university communities beyond Utah, resurfacing debates over security protocols for outdoor, open-access events, particularly those featuring polarizing speakers. UVU leaders said they were reviewing event procedures, while student groups organized vigils and counseling services. On Capitol Hill, some Republicans proposed honoring Kirk in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, while Democrats and Republicans alike issued statements rejecting political violence. The vice president traveled to Utah to meet Kirk’s family and later accompanied his casket to Arizona aboard Air Force Two, according to officials.
Against that backdrop, an 11-year-old social-media post from Kirk drew intense new scrutiny, ricocheting across platforms and fueling speculation about premonition and fate. The post, dated late June 2014, read: “Did I just get shot by an AR-15? Feels like it.” Multiple outlets captured the text and timestamp as users resurfaced screenshots and archived links. The tweet spread alongside other contextless clips and images in the hours after the shooting, becoming a focal point for some who argued it was an eerie foreshadowing of Wednesday’s events.
The renewed attention to the 2014 post prompted further attempts at interpretation. Some commentators suggested the timing of the tweet—posted on June 22, 2014, U.S. time—coincided with a dramatic World Cup moment when the U.S. men’s national team conceded a last-gasp equalizer to Portugal, turning what seemed a milestone win into a draw. Under that reading, the hyperbolic metaphor reflected sports disappointment rather than any literal prediction.
The emergence of the old tweet mirrors a pattern the public has seen in other national tragedies: archival artifacts gain fresh virality and are repurposed to support competing narratives. Newsrooms and fact-checking organizations have urged caution, reminding audiences that timestamps can vary by timezone and that screenshots are easily manipulated. In the Kirk case, mainstream outlets preserved the text of the 2014 post, and discussions about its context and relevance proliferated, but there has been no indication from investigators that the tweet plays any role in the inquiry. Officials have focused on physical evidence, video, witness statements and laboratory analysis.
While tributes poured in from allies and adversaries alike—some framing the attack as a chilling escalation of political animus, others warning against instrumentalizing the crime for policy agendas—law enforcement has kept its messaging narrow: identify the suspect, secure the weapon trail, and reconstruct the shooter’s movements before and after 12:20 p.m. Wednesday. Authorities reiterated that tips can be submitted through the FBI line and online form and pressed those who attended the UVU event to upload unedited, original-resolution files rather than compressed screen recordings. In a news conference, officials said the suspect left touch DNA and other trace evidence while descending from the roof, a potentially critical thread as labs process samples.
The flood of inauthentic content has complicated that work. Utah reporters highlighted how AI-altered images purporting to “sharpen” the person-of-interest photos actually introduced new, fabricated visual details that risked misleading the public and misdirecting investigators. Reuters documented the parallel surge of false arrest claims and hoax headlines—one mocked-up CNN graphic claimed prescience about the shooting—along with instances where consumer chatbots asserted Kirk was alive even after his death had been confirmed. Officials cautioned that sharing unverified claims can impede the manhunt and that anyone with concrete information should contact investigators directly.
Inside the White House and across the political class, the debate over response hardened quickly. Trump’s pledge to award the Medal of Freedom drew applause from supporters who have long credited Kirk with mobilizing young conservatives; critics warned against turning a crime scene into a rallying point for policy fights in the absence of established facts about motive and sourcing. For Kirk’s family and colleagues, the immediate focus remained on memorial plans. Trump said he intends to attend a funeral in Arizona later this month, and Turning Point USA asked that the public keep the family in their prayers.
In Orem, the immediate questions are narrower and more urgent than the swirl online: who was on that roof, how did he reach and leave the vantage point, where did the rifle come from, and did anyone help him plan or escape? Officials say they have “good video footage” of the suspect’s movements and are pursuing forensic leads drawn from fingerprints, shoe impressions and the recovered weapon. As the case advances, investigators have repeatedly emphasized that they are not discussing motive; they have also not tied any past social-media content to the attack. The 2014 tweet’s sudden prominence underscores how quickly the country’s collective attention can drift from evidence to symbolism, even as detectives insist that the basics—faces, timelines, trajectories—still decide cases.
