(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Authorities continue to search for the sniper who assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk with one bullet and then slipped away amid the mayhem.
Kirk was killed with a gunshot from a distant rooftop at the Utah Valley University campus, where he was speaking on Wednesday, authorities said. Federal, state and local authorities were working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.” As the search stretched into a second day, they provided little information about the shooter’s identity, motive, location or evidence and were reviewing grainy security videos of a mysterious person in dark clothing.
Two people were detained Wednesday, but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released.
At a press conference, Utah Department of Public Safety commissioner Beau Mason said the first person, George Zinn, was booked in the county jail for obstruction of justice. Zinn apparently made a scene after the shooting that may have distracted law enforcement and allowed the killer to escape unnoticed.
Highlights from last night's Kirk presser.
Utah Department of Public Safety commissioner Beau Mason said the original suspect, George Zinn, was booked in the county jail for obstruction of justice.
Zinn is not listed in the county jail's inmate database, so probably released.
🧵 pic.twitter.com/zg5H5YNS8b— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 11, 2025
The second person taken into custody, Zachariah Qureshi, was initially described by FBI Director Kashyap Patel as a suspect. However, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox clarified at the press conference that Qureshi was a person of interest rather than a suspect. Mason further said Thursday morning that neither men were considered suspects.
Also at the press conference, UVU Police Chief Jeff Long said he had six officers working the event, plus some plainclothes officers in the crowd. Those officers coordinated with Kirk’s security team ahead of the event, he said.
Long declined to say whether the sniper’s rifle was recovered. On Thursday morning, conservative pundit Steven Crowder said he was leaked an email from an ATF officer, which said that a “an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the campus.”
EXCLUSIVE: This morning my team received an e-mail from officer at ATF.
The email included a screen shot from what appears to be an internal message describing a weapon and cartridges located by an ATF and other law enforcement near the scene of the Charlie Kirk shooting at… pic.twitter.com/UKtOUPY5DC
— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) September 11, 2025
“The location of the firearm appears to match the suspects route of travel,” the purported ATF email said. “The spent cartridge was still chambered in addition to three unspent rounds at the top fed magazine. All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology.”
Observers were quick to jump to the conclusion that the shooter was transgender and/or Antifa. However, a sophisticated operator would, of course, put those markings on the ammo to confuse investigators and the public.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
