Viral video footage appears to show suspected Charlie Kirk assassin on nearby rooftop
The nation was stunned on Wednesday by the horrific, caught-on-video assassination of high-profile conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event on the campus of Utah Valley University.
Also caught on video, it appears, was the suspected shooter, who is believed to have been spotted on a nearby rooftop before and after the fatal shot was taken, according to the New York Post.
Law enforcement officials, including the FBI, have undoubtedly reviewed this and other footage from event-goers and surveillance cameras, such that it was announced on Thursday morning that the suspected at-large shooter's movements in and out of the area have already been tracked.
Caught on video
Kirk, the founder and leader of Turning Point USA, was answering questions from attendees at the UVU event on Wednesday when a gunshot suddenly rang out, and Kirk recoiled and slumped from his chair to the floor, blood gushing from his neck.
A video clip of the immediate aftermath shows the crowd scrambling for safety, but, in the background, it also appears to reveal a dark figure running along the rooftop of a nearby building on campus that had a direct line of sight to wear Kirk was seated beneath a large canopy.
Another clip from just before the shooting occurred seems to show that same dark figure lying in a prone position near a corner of the flat-topped building.
"There’s somebody on the roof right there," one person said in the second video clip. "He just ran from over there, ran in, now he’s right there."
The shadowy figure seen in those clips appears to match the initial description of the suspected shooter that was overheard on first responders' dispatch radio, which was an individual with a long rifle wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a black vest.
Movement of suspected shooter tracked
During a Thursday morning press conference, according to The Hill, authorities shared some of what their ongoing investigation had uncovered thus far, including that multiple cameras had captured the suspected shooter both before and after the fatal shot was fired, though the full extent of those images has not yet been shared with the public.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason told reporters, "We are confident in our abilities to track that individual. If we’re unsuccessful in identifying them immediately, we will reach out for the public’s help and the media’s help in pushing those photos."
The footage provided investigators with the suspect's estimated time of arrival on campus and revealed that the individual fled into a nearby neighborhood after the shooting occurred.
"We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to a shooting location," Mason said. "After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building, and fled off of the campus and into a neighborhood."
Weapon, prints recovered
Also at that press conference, according to The Hill, an FBI agent shared that the suspected murder weapon had been found, as had a footprint, handprint, and other evidence believed to be linked to the alleged killer.
"This morning, I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon … that was used in yesterday’s shooting. [It] is a high-powered bolt-action rifle," FBI Special Agent-In-Charge Robert Bohls told reporters. "That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled."
In addition to now analyzing that weapon for further clues, Bohls added, "Investigators have also collected footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis."