Ammunition engraved with transgender and antifascist messages were found in the rifle used to fatally shoot conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, according to the Wall Street Journal. The explosive discovery is now a key focus in the FBI’s high-priority investigation into what officials are calling a “targeted” “political assassination.”
On September 10, Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down during the opening stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” held at Utah Valley University – a nationwide campus tour aimed at promoting conservative values.
The session, the Desert News reports, had drawn heavy attention and controversy, with thousands signing an online petition to block the event. But the university defended its decision just days earlier, citing First Amendment protections and a commitment to “free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
Final words on gun violence
Around 12:20 p.m., Kirk was killed by a single bullet during an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” session – an open mic debate event where students were invited to challenge the right-wing activists’ political and cultural views.
Moments before the gunshot, the father of two was fielding a provocative question from a student.
“Do you know many transgender Americans have been shooters over the last 10 years?” the individual asked.
The influential MAGA supporter responded confidently, “Too many,” as the 3,000-strong crowd erupted in applause.
When the same person insisted the number was five and asked about total mass shooters over the past decade, Kirk replied, “Counting or not counting gang violence?” These were his final words, according to Daily Mail.
‘Bunch of blood’
Moments later, a single, thunderous gunshot cracked through the air, striking Kirk in the neck.
Eyewitnesses described seeing blood pour from the wound as Kirk slumped in his chair, sparking mass panic on campus.
“We heard a big loud shot, I saw a bunch of blood come out of Charlie, I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground,” Justin Hickens, who was approximately 60 feet from the shooting, told NBC News.
Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment, local authorities confirmed that the right-wing political activist died of his injuries approximately 90 minutes after the shooting.
‘Death penalty’
“This is a political assassination,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said, adding that the sniper will be held accountable.
Cox continued, “I want to make it crystal clear to whoever is responsible…and we will hold you accountable to the full extent of the law. And I want to remind you; we still have the death penalty here.”
Forensic evidence
ABC News reports that “good” video footage of the incident is currently under analysis, according to Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.
The commissioner says the individual, who fired from “some distance away,” “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on campus prior to the shooting.
Surveillance footage shows the suspected gunman arriving at campus 11:52 a.m., less than 30 minutes before the deadly shot was fired. Investigators say the shooter navigated through campus stairwells before climbing onto a rooftop overlooking the event area – the very spot from which the fatal shot was believed to be fired.
Moments after the assassination, the suspect was seen darting across the roof and then leaping off the building in a dramatic escape caught partially on camera. Authorities believe he left the campus on foot through nearby wooded areas.
In addition to the video, authorities have recovered several pieces of forensic evidence, including a palm imprint, forearm imprints, and a footwear impression, which are now being examined as part of the ongoing investigation of what’s being called a “targeted attack.”
‘Transgender and antifascist ideology’
According to the Wall Street Journal, authorities recovered the rifle used in the attack – a .30 caliber bolt-action hunting rifle – in a wooded area near the campus, where the shooter is believed to have fled on foot.
Wrapped in a towel, the rifle was found with a spent cartridge still in the chamber – and three unspent rounds in the magazine – “ammunition engraved with expressions of transgender and antifascist ideology inside the rifle that authorities believe was used in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk,” the WSJ reports.
Though officials have not released the exact wording of the engravings, multiple outlets report they appear to indicate a politically or socially motivated message.
Trump reacts
President Donald Trump shared a message on Truth Social, announcing that “In honor of Charlie Kirk, a truly Great American Patriot,” American flags will be lowered to half-mast until Sunday evening.
In an earlier message, Trump shared a tribute to the activist who he called “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk.”
“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!” he wrote on Truth Social, hours after Kirk had died.
A manhunt is underway, with local, state, and federal authorities combing the surrounding area and beyond for the unidentified sniper.
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