‘Subject’ in Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting released after being taken into custody
Update as of 8:15 p.m.: This story was updated to reflect new information about the "subject" in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah on Wednesday.
A "subject" in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday was taken into custody, but was later released after being interrogated by police, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on social media that evening .
Patel posted just after 6:20 p.m. that the subject had been taken into custody, thanking local and state police for partnering with the FBI in the investigation into the shooting.
But just before 8 p.m., the FBI director reshared his original post with an update stating that the subject had "been released after an interrogation by law enforcement."
"Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in (the) interest of transparency," Patel wrote.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox initially described the person in police custody as "a person of interest" in the shooting. Earlier, the governor described the shooting as "a political assassination."
"We are actively looking for anyone and everyone who has any information related to the shooting," he said.
Utah authorities said the shooter wore dark clothing and fired from a roof on the Orem-based campus some distance away.
Kirk, 31, was the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA . He was shot during a debate hosted by his nonprofit political group.
"The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead," U.S. President Donald Trump, who Kirk had close ties with, posted to Truth Social.
"No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!" the president added.
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone at Utah Valley's Sorensen Center courtyard sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans, "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong."
In the videos, a single shot rings out, and Kirk reaches up with his hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream. Some run away.
Kirk was a popular figure in the American right-wing political scene and an ardent supporter of President Trump, but his confrontational debate style and at-times inflammatory rhetoric made him controversial among the wider American public. Even so, leaders from both political parties have publicly mourned his death.
The Utah Valley event had been met with divided opinions on campus. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures.
The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its "commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry and constructive dialogue."
Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.
More News
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
