By Hudson Crozier
Authorities are searching for a perpetrator in the Wednesday shooting death of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in Utah after two subjects were arrested and released.
Police initially arrested George Zinn and then Zachariah Qureshi after Kirk was fatally shot in the neck during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, but the two subjects had “no current ties” to the murder, the FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in a joint statement Wednesday night. The shooter killed Kirk in a “targeted attack” and is suspected to have fired from the roof of a nearby building, the agencies said.
The shooter arrived on campus a little after 11:50 a.m., climbed up a stairwell to the rooftop and disappeared into a neighborhood after firing, authorities said at a Thursday morning press conference. Authorities obtained a weapon from the shooting in a wooded area and video footage of the suspect. They referred to the suspect as a male who is “of college age.” (RELATED: Subject In Charlie Kirk Killing Caught, Then Released, FBI Says)
Later on Thursday, the FBI released photos showing a “person of interest” wearing dark sunglasses, a black hat and black shirt, asking the public for help in identification.
We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
1-800-CALL-FBI
Digital media tips: https://t.co/K7maX81TjJ pic.twitter.com/ALuVkTXuDc— FBI Salt Lake City (@FBISaltLakeCity) September 11, 2025
UVU’s police department had six officers protecting the event along with Kirk’s private security team, according to the Wednesday statement. Kirk was seen sitting under a tent and speaking to students during an outdoor Q&A session before a single shot rang out, prompting large crowds to scatter.
Law enforcement agencies are reviewing multiple crime scenes, the DPS and FBI said Wednesday.
Videos circulating on social media on Wednesday appeared to show an older man being arrested at the scene of the shooting. FBI Director Kash Patel later said in X posts that authorities had arrested, interrogated and subsequently released a subject in the investigation.
Authorities found ammunition from a rifle in the killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in Utah with messaging described as pro-transgender and anti-fascist, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources.
Officials recovered a rifle in a wooded area after Krik was fatally shot in the neck during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday. The shooter, still on the run, is described as a male of college age.
