Authorities were searching for a new person of interest Wednesday evening in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk roughly an hour after FBI Director Kash Patel said another person of interest had been released.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” Patel said.
The new person of interest was not in custody, according to the Associated Press.
The FBI director caused confusion earlier in the evening when he said “the subject” of the shooting was in custody.
“The subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. Thank you to the local and state authorities in Utah for your partnership with FBI,” Patel said.
During a press conference with Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) just a few minutes after Patel’s post, authorities said, “We have a person of interest in custody that is being interviewed right now.”
Commissioner for the Utah Department of Public Safety Bo Mason, Cox, an FBI special agent in charge, Utah Valley University Vice President Val Peterson, and UVU Police Chief Jeff Long were present at the press conference.
Mason confirmed that Kirk was shot and taken to a hospital in a private vehicle before dying. He said the man detained shortly after the shooting, George Zinn, was not the shooter but was booked on obstruction of justice charges.
He said the shooting was a targeted attack against Kirk and that the shot was taken “potentially from a roof.” Mason believes there was just one shot fired and one victim.
An FBI spokesperson said the investigation was still in its “early stages” despite Patel’s comment and said a tip line had been set up.
Peterson said that violence had no place on UVU’s campus. “We firmly believe that UVU is a place to share ideas and to debate openly and respectfully. Any attempt to infringe on those rights has no place here. We do not condone any form of violence at edu and seek to make our campus a safe place for all,” he said.
Cox said the shooting is a “political assassination” and suggested they will pursue the death penalty against 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. And I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah,” he said.
Cox said the person in custody is not Zinn.
It’s unclear whether a manhunt is still underway, but the officials suggested the suspect wasn’t in custody yet. The shooter reportedly wore dark clothing and had a long rifle.
Campus security audio said they believed the shooter had left the area.
Chris J. Quick, a retired FBI special agent, told the Washington Examiner that law enforcement could pursue various methods to find the shooter.
“They could be using cell phone data … cameras, you know,” he said. “A lot of jurisdictions — and I don’t know if the university had it — have license plate readers that capture license tags or surveillance cameras from public street lights and things like that around the time of the shooting or shortly thereafter.”
He believes the suspect was at least an “above-average” marksman with a rifle that had a scope. He believes nearby Provo Airport could influence the shooter’s escape plans, though his description has been released.
CHARLIE KIRK DEAD AFTER BEING SHOT AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY EVENT
Quick thinks the shooting was premeditated and that law enforcement will start with interviewing witnesses. Ultimately, he believes the shooter will be caught.
“I do think they’ll capture the guy. Too many people were around — someone had to have seen something. It’s going to be a matter of building the case step by step,” he concluded.
