Governor Spencer Cox (R-UT) vowed to seek the death penalty in the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk — and called on members of the public to aid in the manhunt that has already gone on for more than 24 hours.
The call came during a press conference that took place late Thursday evening — a press conference that was initially scheduled for earlier in the day, but was delayed at the last minute due to “rapid developments” in the case. “Due to the rapid developments in our investigation, we will suspend this,” the Utah Department of Public Safety announced via email.
The press conference began about twenty minutes later than the scheduled start time of 7:30 p.m. local time, and officials shared video of the suspect as he ran from his perch and ultimately climbed over the edge of the roof of the building, hanging from the side before jumping to the ground.
WATCH:
They called on members of the public to look at identifiable items of clothing on the suspect to hopefully assist officials as they try to find the individual responsible for Kirk’s murder. They also announced that they had already interviewed more than 200 people and had received thousands of tips from the public, more than they had seen in any case since the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
WATCH:
DPS asked for digital tips and videos from anyone who might have footage from the Wednesday event, and vowed to capture the person responsible. Governor Spencer Cox (R-UT) also promised that the state planned to seek the death penalty once the suspect was apprehended and tried.
Investigators began the manhunt within moments of the fatal shooting that took place on Wednesday during a campus event at Utah Valley University, and photos of a “person of interest” in the case were released to the public on Thursday afternoon. The photos showed a male figure wearing an American flag t-shirt, sunglasses, and a hat — and authorities said they believed he’d “blended in well with a college institution” and was likely around the same age as some of those present for Kirk’s event.
The FBI offered a reward of $100,000 to anyone who could provide information that led to the shooter’s arrest.
“The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack. The shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said in a statement prior to the press conference. “Any additional clarifications cannot be provided to protect the integrity of our investigation.”
