Have police arrested Charlie Kirk's shooter? The latest on whether a suspect is in custody
Although police arrested two people in the wake of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, both were ruled out as the shooter and released. Now authorities have a new person of interest.
FBI Director Kash Patel initially said on X on Wednesday, Sept. 10, that "the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody." Less than two hours later he wrote that : "The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement."
In addition to the person Patel referenced, police arrested a man in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. He was booked on obstruction of justice and released, said Utah's Commissioner of Public Safety Beau Mason.
On Thursday, Sept. 11, the FBI released photos of a person of interest and said that he's believed to be college-aged. They also recovered a bolt-action rifle used in the shooting in some nearby woods and tracked the suspect's movements before and after the attack.
Cox vowed that authorities will capture the shooter.
"I want to make it crystal clear right now to whoever did this, we will find you, we will try you, and we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law," he said. "And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah."
Here's what else to know.
What happened to Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was addressing a crowd of thousands of people at an outdoor event at the campus in Oren, Utah, when video showed a bullet hitting him in the neck area.
Kirk was rushed to a hospital. President Donald Trump announced Kirk's death on social media.
Who was arrested after the shooting?
Authorities arrested a man shortly after a bullet hit Kirk, Mason said during the news conference. He said that man did not match the shooting suspect but was booked on a charge of obstruction of justice.
Later Cox said a person of interest was in custody and being interviewed, and clarified that the person was not the man booked on the obstruction charge.
Mason said that the shooter was on a rooftop on campus and that afterward he jumped to the ground and fled into a nearby neighborhood.
Authorities were then able to track down high-quality footage of him.
"We are investing everything we have to this and we will catch this individual," Mason said.
What was the security like at the event?
Jeff Long, chief of the university's police department, said that about six officers were working the event and estimated attendance at over 3,000 people. He said some officers were in plain clothes among the crowd, and that Kirk was with his own security team.
He said his agency and Kirk's team worked together to set the security protocols.
"We train for these things. You think you have things covered and these things, unfortunately they happen," he said. "You try to get your bases covered and unfortunately today we didn't and because of that we had this tragic incident."
Robert Bohls, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City bureau, said that "special agents and personnel from the Salt Lake City Field Office responded immediately."
"We have full resources devoted to this investigation, including tactical, operational, investigative and intelligence," he said. "I know there are a lot of questions. This is very much an active case, and this investigation is in its early stages. We are following all the leads and the evidence."
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk appears at a Utah Valley University speaking event in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025. Kirk has died after being shot in the neck during the event, President Donald Trump confirmed.
Do authorities believe the shooter acted alone?
Cox said there was no information leading authorities to believe there was a second person involved.
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter for USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat .
Contributing: Christopher Cann and Francesca Chambers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Have police arrested Charlie Kirk's shooter? The latest on the suspect
