Likely murder weapon in Kirk assassination recovered; cartridges reportedly engraved with ‘transgender and anti-fascist ideology’

The firearm believed to have been used to kill Charlie Kirk at a Utah university on Wednesday has been recovered, the FBI announced on Thursday morning.

The weapon “is a high powered bolt action rifle,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls, Fox News reports. “That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. So the FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon. Investigators have also collected footwear, the impression of a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.”

Bohls also said the shooter appears to have been college aged, climbed to the roof of a building to take the shot, then jumped from the building and fled.

Also Thursday morning, Steven Crowder posted a formal description of the weapon and ammunition he says was sent to his team by an official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The email included a screenshot of what appears to be a database entry or report that corroborates what the FBI shared in the morning press conference. It says one spent cartridge was still in the chamber, and three unspent rounds were in the magazine. Notably, “All cartridges have engraved wording on them, expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology,” according to the report.

The FBI also released a photo of a person interest in the case, who appears to fit the description of the suspected shooter.