Charlie Kirk assassination: FBI recovers 'high-powered' rifle, says suspect might be college-aged

The sniper who killed the 31-year-old jumped off the roof and fled after firing the shot.

Utah DPS Commissioner Beau Mason informed the media that the suspect "appears to be of college age". He also said that the police have images of the suspect.

"We are confident in our abilities to track that individual." FBI special agent Robert Bohls announced that the rifle was found in a "wooded area" where the shooter had fled and stated that the FBI laboratory will further analyse the weapon, according to CNN.

He further stated that a "footwear impression" and "a forearm imprint" have also been found, which are also in the process of being studied, BBC reported.

"I can tell you this was a targeted event," Bohls commented on the attack. Answering a question from the media, Bohls said that although they possess the image of the shooter, they "can't comment specifically on his face" as the investigation is underway. "We'll release that shortly", he said.

Kirk was shot dead on Wednesday during his address at Utah Valley University in Orem.

A single gunshot was fired, and it struck Charlie on his neck when he was addressing the students at the university.

He was speaking at an outdoor "Prove Me Wrong" table as part of his American Comeback Tour.

FBI director Kash Patel said a person, who was taken into custody in connection with the crime, has been released after interrogation by the law enforcement.

US President Donald Trump has blamed the "rhetoric" of the radical Left for the "kind of terrorism" unleashed in Utah that killed his loyalist and Conservative activist, Charlie Kirk.

Trump, who said he was "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", called Charlie "a patriot" and "a model for truth and freedom".

In a long video message, Trump said, "I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. He was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loves so much, the United States of America. He fought for liberal democracy just as the American people. He is a model for truth and freedom, and there has never been anyone who was so respected by youth. Charlie was also a man of deep, deep faith, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he is now at peace with God and heaven."

"Our prayers are with his wife, Erika, the two young, beloved children, and his entire family, whom he loved more than anything in the world. We ask God to watch over them in this terrible hour of horror and pain.This is a dark moment for America. Charlie Kirk travelled the nation, joyfully engaging with everyone interested in good-faith debate."