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 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.
Follow The Post’s live coverage of the Charlie Kirk shooting for the latest news and updates
Sources 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.
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
- The 31-year-old Turning Point USA creator was shot dead at Utah Valley University.
- The event was a stop on his American Comeback Tour.
- The conservative influencer had just answered a question about transgender shooters when he was shot.
- Kirk, a rising MAGA star, is survived by his wife and two young children.
- The shooter is still at large.
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.
President 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.”
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