OREM: US authorities on Thursday released pictures of a man they were hunting in the killing of conservative youth leader Charlie Kirk, hours after recovering the high-powered rifle believed to have been used in the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University.

Kirk, 31, a superstar on the Republican right and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was killed by a single gunshot to the neck while addressing a large crowd on Wednesday. The FBI has described the killing as a “targeted event”.

The FBI issued grainy photos of a person of interest wearing a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses and what appeared to be jeans, with a long-sleeved top emblazoned with a design including an American flag.

Authorities described the suspect as being of university age and acknowledged the gunman remained at large after escaping into woodland.

“We’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he has gone yet, but we will do our best,” FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls told a media briefing. The FBI also announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information.

Mr Bohls said the presumed murder weapon, a “high powered bolt action rifle,” was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled.

Investigators found ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology inside the rifle, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the investigation.

It was Trump who first announced Kirk’s death. In a video address, Trump cited a “dark moment for America” and suggested the left wing was responsible. On Thursday, the president paid tribute to Kirk as a “giant of his generation” and announced he would posthumously award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2025