FBI: Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Is in Custody

FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that a suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk is in custody, though other officials described the person in custody only as a "person of interest." "The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody," Patel said in a post on X, thanking local and state authorities for their partnership with the FBI. At a news briefing minutes later, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said a "person of interest" was being interviewed, the New York Times reports. He described the shooting of the conservative activist as a "political assassination," saying, "This is a dark day for our state, it's a tragic day for our nation," per KSL.com.

The Turning Point USA founder was shot at an event at Utah Valley University. Authorities said the shooter wore dark clothing and fired from a roof on campus, reports the AP. Beau Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said Kirk, who was shot in the neck, was pronounced dead after he was taken to hospital in a private vehicle. Cox said investigators believe only one person was involved in the shooting, but authorities are "actively looking" for people who might have more information. He vowed to hold the shooter "accountable to the furthest extent of the law," adding, "And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah," per the Washington Post.

Mason said a person taken into custody soon after the shooting was released, CNN reports. "He was released from custody after we identified that he did not match the shooting suspect and was not an accurate person of interest," Mason said at a news briefing. "However, he has been booked in the county jail by Utah Valley University Police Department for obstruction of justice." UVU spokesman Scott Trotter earlier said, "Somebody in the crowd told the police that he was the shooter, and after interviewing they could tell he wasn't, and they took him to the hospital with the police officers," per KSL.com.