A rifle recovered in the hunt for conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassin contained ammo engraved with “transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” according to preliminary reports from law enforcement sources.
The weapon — an imported .30-06-caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle — was discovered wrapped in a towel by investigators in a wooded area following the killing of the conservative leading light, who was shot once while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, according to the memo.
A bolt-action rifle recovered near the scene where Charlie Kirk was fatally shot is seen in a photo obtained by the New York Post. Obtained by the NY PostA source familiar noted that the Justice Department is investigating the descriptions alleged in the ATF memo, but that the agency was unable to confirm that the description matched the evidence recovered at the scene.
Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by a single shot fired from a distance of around 200 yards while answering an audience member’s question about mass shootings committed by transgender people.
A surveillance image of the person of interest wanted for the shooting of Charlie Kirk. AFP via Getty ImagesSources said they believe the fatal shot was a high-caliber round — similar to the ammo used in long-range sniper rifles or for hunting big game.
The father of two and Turning Point USA founder was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Chilling clips appear to show Charlie Kirk’s assassin on a rooftop moments before and after the fatal shooting.
Kirk, 31, was shot from a distance of around 200 yards. Falon / NY Post Design
Police believe Kirk was killed by a Mauser .30-06 rifle, according to reports.
An intense multi-agency search for Kirk’s killer continued Thursday after the FBI briefly detained a possible suspect but released them after interrogation Wednesday night, director Kash Patel said.
Here's the latest on the Charlie Kirk shooting in Utah
- Police identified Tyler Robinson, 22, as the alleged assassin who fatally shot Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
- Robinson was charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
- Law enforcement confirmed that Robinson was living with a transgender roommate, and communications between the two helped the feds catch the alleged assassin.
- Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder, was attending an event on his American Comeback Tour when he was struck in the neck by a single shot.
- President Trump was among many who have called for the assassin to receive the death penalty.
- Kirk’s body was brought to Arizona from Utah on Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, and taken to Phoenix’s Hansen Mortuary Chapel.
- Kirk’s funeral, which Trump has promised to attend, is scheduled for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
- Kirk, a rising MAGA star, is survived by his wife and two young children.
The bureau released a pair of surveillance camera photos of a “person of interest” thought to be connected to the shooting, which depict a lanky male subject clad head-to-toe in dark-colored clothing, including wraparound sunglasses.
Charlie Kirk leaves behind his wife and two children. via REUTERSPresident Trump announced during his commemorative 9/11 remarks from the Pentagon that he would posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.
Trump called Kirk a “very, very good friend of mine” in a mournful call with The Post shortly before news of his death broke, and later on Truth Social lauded the late conservative influencer as “Great and even Legendary,” saying, “no one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
