US releases pictures of Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, offers $100,000 bounty

US authorities released pictures of a 'college age boy' suspected of shooting conservative activist and Trump aide Charlie Kirk has been recovered, alongside a $100,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s capture.

According to investigators, the recovered weapon is a high-powered bolt-action rifle, which is now undergoing forensic testing for fingerprints and footprints. Photos of the suspected gunman have also been released. Officials described the shooter as appearing to be of college age.

Kirk, 31, an author, podcast host, and president of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, was shot on Wednesday while addressing students at Utah Valley University in Orem. The event, titled “Prove Me Wrong”, drew a crowd of nearly 3,000 people.

President Donald Trump condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous targeted killing.”

Authorities said the assailant arrived on campus just minutes before the lecture began. Security footage captured the suspect climbing to the roof of the building, where he opened fire. Kirk was struck in the neck while responding to a question from the audience, sparking panic and a stampede.

FBI Special Agent Robert Bowles stated that the gunman fled by jumping from the roof and disappearing into a nearby neighborhood. The rifle was later discovered in a forested area close to the campus.

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Utah’s Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason noted that the suspect “appears to be college-aged and blends in easily on campus.” Blurry surveillance images released by the FBI show a man in a black shirt emblazoned with a bald eagle over an American flag, wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap.

Classes at Utah Valley University were suspended as investigators sealed off the rooftop and surrounding forest to gather evidence. Reports also indicate that ammunition found at the scene carried markings, the meaning of which remains unclear.

Trump announced that Kirk will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Vice President JD Vance also canceled his planned trip to New York for the September 11 commemoration, choosing instead to travel to Utah to meet Kirk’s family.