US investigators said on Thursday they had found a bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the politically charged fatal shooting of influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, a 31-year-old author, podcast host and close ally of US President Donald Trump, helped build the Republican Party's support among younger voters. He was killed on Wednesday by a single gunshot as he gave a talk at a university in Utah in what Trump called a “heinous assassination”.
The weapon recovered by investigators was described by FBI official Robert Bohls as “a high-powered, bolt-action rifle”. It was found in a wooded area near the shooting site in Utah.
Bolt-action weapons are more precise than semi-automatic ones though they have slower rates of fire.
Bohls, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City field office, said the weapon was being analysed at an FBI laboratory for clues about the shooting and the suspect.
Three law enforcement officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the New York Times the recovered gun was an older model Mauser rifle. Other US media outlets also cited sources saying it was an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle.
Several cartridges, including a spent round in the rifle's chamber, were also found by investigators, the Times reported. The kind of rifle the suspect used is commonly used by marksmen and hunters.
People familiar with the investigation told Reuters apparent engravings on the ammunition found so far and their meaning were being analysed by authorities.
Brad Garrett, a retired FBI agent, said the evidence investigators have shared so far painted a picture of a suspect who planned the shooting down to the last detail, including discarding the possible murder weapon along his escape path.
“He probably did that as he didn't want to be seen carrying a weapon and running or walking through a neighbourhood,” Garrett told ABC News.
In a press briefing late on Thursday, officials released a video showing the suspect climbing off the roof of a building, crossing a street and moving into a wooded area near the campus.
Reuters
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