Police are still working to identify the shooter.
Investigators obtained clues, including a palm print, a shoe impression and a high-powered hunting rifle found in a wooded area along the path the shooter fled. But they had yet to name a suspect or cite a motive in the killing.
On Thursday, the FBI released multiple photos of a person of interest in connection with the shooting as investigators appealed to the public for information. The photos show a person wearing a hat, sunglasses and a long-sleeve black shirt.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of whoever is responsible for Kirk’s death. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. The FBI also published the link for a form where people can upload videos and photos.
During a news conference Thursday, authorities showed a video of the suspected shooter racing across the roof of the building where the shot was fired, dropping down to the ground and fleeing into the woods. In the process, officials say, the shooter left behind imprints, including a palm print, that investigators hope can yield clues to their identity.
At that news conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips. He said the FBI had not received as many digital tips since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing investigation.
“We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” Cox said.
The suspect targeted Kirk, firing a single shot from a distant rooftop, according to Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason.
Authorities said the suspect “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the college campus.
Authorities said the suspect arrived on campus just before noon.
After firing the shot, the shooter jumped from the roof, moved through stairwells and ultimately fled from campus into a neighborhood.
Law enforcement recovered a Mauser .30 caliber bolt-action rifle hidden in a towel in a wooded area near the university campus along what they suspect to be the shooter’s path as they fled the scene, according to information circulated among law enforcement and shared with The Associated Press. Besides the spent cartridge recovered in the chamber, three other rounds were loaded in the magazine. The weapon and ammunition are being forensically analyzed by law enforcement at a federal lab for clues that could help identify the shooter or the motive.
The shooter is still on the run, and it is not clear how far the suspect may have gotten, but the nearby woods have been secured, authorities said.
Officials are reviewing grainy security videos of a person in dark clothing. “We do have good video of this individual,” Mason said.
Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.”
