Photo: Alamy
FBI Director Kash Patel said late Wednesday that a person taken into custody in connection with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been released, as investigators continue to search for answers in the deadly Utah shooting.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,” Patel wrote on X. “Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
Earlier in the day, Patel said the “subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody,” while thanking state and local authorities in Utah for their assistance.
Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, told reporters at a news conference broadcast by Newsmax that the suspected gunman was seen on security footage from the roof of a building near the crowd. Social media clips circulating after the attack appeared to show someone running along a rooftop behind the audience.
“The only information we have on the suspect, the shooter, is taken from closed-circuit TV here on campus,” Mason said. “We do have that. We’re analyzing it. But it is security camera footage that you can kind of guess what the quality of that is. But we do know, [the suspect was] dressed in all dark clothing. But we don’t have much better description other than that.”
Kirk, 31, co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was killed during a forum with students at Utah Valley University. A video from the event showed him bleeding heavily from a neck wound after an apparent gunshot.
University spokesperson Ellen Treanor said that the gunfire began about 20 minutes after Kirk started speaking. She said the shooter fired from the Losee Center, located roughly 200 yards from the gathering. Treanor said Kirk was removed from the area by his security team
Video clips shared online captured the moment of Kirk speaking to a large outdoor crowd when a single shot rang out, and he jerked back and fell to the ground. No one has been charged in the case. Authorities said the investigation remains active.
