As conservatives mourn the death of 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, grief has turned into anger as President Donald Trump blamed rhetoric from the "radical left" for Kirk's death.
Kirk was at an event at Utah Valley University when he was fatally wounded. Although a "person of interest" was detained on Wednesday, that person was later released. As of Thursday morning, no one had been arrested in connection with the shooting.
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Police have also not publicly identified a suspect, making the shooter's motives unclear.
Gun found on scene
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls told reporters that investigators have video of the suspect's face and were able to track the suspect's movements before Wednesday's shooting. They were also able to gather forensic evidence, such as footprints, officials said. At an early morning news conference on Thursday, officials did not release the suspect's name.
Bohls said investigators found a high-powered rifle in a wooded area near the university. The wooded area has been cleared and officials do not believe there to be an active threat to the area.
Bohls said the suspect is believed to be "college aged," but would not give any other details about the alleged shooter.
Trump blames the 'radical left'
On Wednesday evening, President Trump pointed his finger toward the "radical left."
RELATED STORY | Charlie Kirk dies in shooting at Utah Valley University
"Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives," he said. "Tonight, I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died."
President Trump said Kirk's shooting death was the consequence of the left's rhetoric.
"For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals," he added. "This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now."
Officials said they "believe this was a targeted attack."
Kirk is among numerous political figures who have been the targets of violent attacks in recent years. President Trump himself survived a gunshot wound to the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania last year.
There have also been politically motivated attacks on Democrats, including in June, when Minnesota House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot, while State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded. In 2022, Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked inside the couple's San Francisco home.
In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence was set on fire in an alleged antisemitic attack.
