UT - Charlie Kirk Murdered on Utah College Stage *Arrest*

[clearskies1]

Regarding the video where he jumps down; I don't think he really injured himself. He hangs down reducing the drop distance to about 10 feet and then lands on grass. He does appear to drop something though that he stops for a moment to reach down to pick up, maybe his gun glasses or the like, before walking away with nothing like the limp the house surveillance camera footage showed him arriving on Campus with.

Agree. Landing from that distance probably stung but I don't think he hurt himself. There is video out there of him running after the shooting. Did not appear to be limping.

 

[JennieM]

Utah law enforcement agency has 'no idea' if suspect still in state
​

The chief of Utah's Department of Public Safety has told NBC News they "have no idea" if the suspect is still in Utah.

Beau Mason was asked by NBC if it was his "understanding that this individual may be close by or still in Utah".

Mason responded: "We have no idea. We're exploring leads for individuals out of state and individuals that live close by.

"We literally have persons of interest tips coming in on the tip line that are spanning far and wide."

Tyler Robinson, 22, named as Charlie Kirk's murder suspect - follow live

Tyler Robinson's father recognised his son from pictures released by the FBI - he then turned him in with the help of a friend, a youth pastor.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[JennieM]

37m ago
Security experts interviewed by The Associated Press questioned whether the Charlie Kirk event at Utah Valley University was sufficiently staffed.

While they also acknowledged the limitations of both campus police forces and outdoor venues, they said only the inner ring closest to Kirk appeared to be secure, leaving the outer and middle rings exposed.

Hours after the attack, Jeff Long, the campus police chief, told reporters that six of his officers staffed the debate, and that his department had coordinated with Kirk’s own security team. He said Kirk had been speaking “in a lower area surrounded by buildings” but did not say whether officers had inspected nearby rooftops.

Students and others who attended the event told AP there were no metal detectors or bag checks, though the level of security appeared consistent with other speaking engagements on Kirk’s national tour.

“As soon as I was down by the courtyard in line, I was looking around and I was like ‘I love Charlie, but I have a weird feeling that if something did happen, he would be in a very vulnerable position,’” said Henry Dells, a business owner in Utah County who asked Kirk a question about a minute before the shooting.

Dells said he now can’t close his eyes without seeing graphic flashbacks.

“I just wish they would’ve had more security,” he told AP.

Utah officials share video of Charlie Kirk shooting suspect as governor pledges death penalty - as it happened

Briefing follows release of four new images of suspect and reward offer of $100,000

www.theguardian.com

 

[detective.moon]

my guess (i could be completely wrong of course! this is pure speculation) based on the pictures and what we know so far is he’s a very young guy (18-22), probably from utah or a neighbouring state, not a professional but did take his preparation seriously, put on the american flag sweater etc to blend in but it’s not what he usually wears, skinny and slightly awkward looking guy, no accomplices and his family will probably be shocked, will be found alive, hasn’t left the country, will be found in a couple of days.

 

[clearskies1]

"Greg Shaffer, a retired F.B.I. special agent who served as security director for Turning Point USA until 2022, protected Mr. Kirk for seven years as crowds grew from a few hundred to thousands.

...Mr. Shaffer said the focus had been protecting him against someone throwing a bottle or even rushing the stage with a handgun. Stopping a shooter from hundreds of yards away was out of the question, he added.

“It is virtually impossible to defend against a shooter 200 yards away,” he said. “You’re just not going to see them, unless you have counter surveillance and counter sniper teams.”

Security at Charlie Kirk Event Seemed Light to Those Who Attended

The problem of protecting campus speakers with polarizing opinions has confounded universities around the country in recent years.

www.nytimes.com

 

[StackEye476]

"Greg Shaffer, a retired F.B.I. special agent who served as security director for Turning Point USA until 2022, protected Mr. Kirk for seven years as crowds grew from a few hundred to thousands.

...Mr. Shaffer said the focus had been protecting him against someone throwing a bottle or even rushing the stage with a handgun. Stopping a shooter from hundreds of yards away was out of the question, he added.

“It is virtually impossible to defend against a shooter 200 yards away,” he said. “You’re just not going to see them, unless you have counter surveillance and counter sniper teams.”

Security at Charlie Kirk Event Seemed Light to Those Who Attended

The problem of protecting campus speakers with polarizing opinions has confounded universities around the country in recent years.

www.nytimes.com

It is just a question of resources; the costs of scouring every window and rooftop on a campus would require a lot of manpower and therefore a lot of money. Stuff that would exist for say a presidential candidate but not for a college campus political activist. And even then, presidents have been shot as well multiple times.

I can see counter snipers being effective, but then there would still be extra costs, additional planning required which also means more costs, and as the name implies counter-snipers often only spot the would be assassins AFTER they take the first shot like with Trump in PA; something that wouldn't have saved Charlie Kirk in this one shot scenario. To say nothing of the fact that having men with giant rifles overlooking a public event puts a bit of a damper on the mood and paints a sorry state of affairs...

 

[snooptroop88]

I think he actually dropped two items on that roof. The second one, he reaches back and grabs it, but what was the first? One second and let me see if I can get the NYT video and get the stamps because we'd need actual seconds.

Video: Fresh Footage Shows Person of Interest in Charlie Kirk’s Shooting

The F.B.I. shared surveillance video of a man running across a roof near where Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University.

www.nytimes.com

:14-:16 He seems to cast something off to his left/viewer's right
:18 Then, bag goes in to his right, viewer's left
:23-:28 This is him positioning himself for the jump. There's a hesitation in here right, right as he's about to let himself go, and I find it difficult to believe he could have the kind of balance & control he has there where if I'm seeing this correctly, one hand isn't even grasping anything, that ledge (if his feet found a ledge, I think they did) provided the ledge exists, it does not look to have the type of depth he'd have needed to maintain his position at that point and at that angle jmo but there's this hesitation with him just as he's about to release himself. Would picture like a hooked anchor with a short rope there, but dunno.

I think this one intended to get away, and so far, he has. Usually, they don't care, this one does, I hope he doesn't have anything else up his sleeve. Unbelievably dangerous, he's still trotting around somewhere. Horrified by it all.

 

[clearskies1]

It is just a question of resources; the costs of scouring every window and rooftop on a campus would require a lot of manpower and therefore a lot of money. Stuff that would exist for a say a presidential candidate for but for a college campus political activist.

Absolutely. Would they even let a private security team do rooftop searches? I'm not sure that the small campuses (and small campus police units) that Charlie Kirk seemed to visit had the wherewithal to provide the necessary protection.

 

[Elley Mae]

Meanwhile, General Mike Flynn, who served as Trump's national security advisor during his first term called for 'hell to be paid' if a foreign country was involved in the killing.

Writing on X, he said: 'If it is determined that a foreign power assassinated Charlie Kirk (or was behind his assassination), there should be hell to pay. It is now being reported by the FBI that this is a possibility.

All the clues we have about Charlie Kirk's killer

Authorities have released new information about the suspect, describing him as a college-aged male with a high level of proficiency in handling firearms and a likely familiarity with the university campus.

www.dailymail.co.uk

….

Why i think he’s not showing up on any facial ID.

 

[BrianJohnson]

I think he might have military training, in the military you are trained to jump from height and land safely plus he was so precise with his shooting from distance and the fact he let off just one shot would suggest he is cool and calculating

I still think back to that private jet that took off an hour after the shooting and turned off its transponders, does anyone here have experience of private jets? do you have to show passports or any ID etc like at regular airport terminals? do you have to go through security? might explain why he ditched the gun if he was boarding a private jet

 

[StackEye476]

I think he might have military training, in the military you are trained to jump from height and land safely plus he was so precise with his shooting from distance and the fact he let off just one shot would suggest he is cool and calculating

I still think back to that private jet that took off an hour after the shooting and turned off its transponders, does anyone here have experience of private jets? do you have to show passports or any ID etc like at regular airport terminals? do you have to go through security? might explain why he ditched the gun if he was boarding a private jet

Frankly, his landing was shoddy. Probably because he was holding the rifle but he could have just dropped that down before himself. Especially on the grass it would have been best to roll with the fall to minimize the risk of injury. That said, his one handed hang reminded me of rock climbers and to me suggested someone who is confident in their climbing abilities. I get an out doorsy vibe and suspect we're looking at someone local to Utah or nearby Colorado.

Question I have is how did he pick out his vantage point? Although I suppose it is possible to have scoped it out using google Earth you don't get a very good sense of elevation and it would have been risky. This guy seemed to have been to this place before and knew the lay of the land so to speak.

 

[clearskies1]

They released a photo of the person going up a staircase. I assume you need a student or faculty ID to get in the building with that staircase?

 

[BrianJohnson]

Frankly, his landing was shoddy. Probably because he was holding the rifle but he could have just dropped that down before himself. Especially on the grass it would have been best to roll with the fall to minimize the risk of injury. That said, his one handed hang reminded me of rock climbers and to me suggested someone who is confident in their climbing abilities. I get an out doorsy vibe and suspect we're looking at someone local to Utah or nearby Colorado.

Question I have is how did he pick out his vantage point? Although I suppose it is possible to have scoped it out using google Earth you don't get a very good sense of elevation and it would have been risky. This guy seemed to have been to this place before and knew the lay of the land so to speak.

I get the impression that he is a bit of a loner, has few if any friends, enjoys hunting, like you said climbing, probably fishing and similar outdoor solo pursuits. I don’t think he will have been an ex student of the place where CK was shot, he would have been recognised by lecturers or students but he certainly seems to have planned it in great detail and will have checked out the area thoroughly

 

[Jw192]

Bottom right photo - I think you can clealy see the gun stuffed down his right trouser leg.

I'm just catching up and I'm up to this comment.
If these photos are taken at a very similar time then the rifle is nowhere to be seen as it clearly shows in the 4 photos BOTH the left and right leg bending at the knee. So where was the rifle? It's stated that the released pics are prior to the shooting... I'm not good with guns (I'm in England) can a rifle like the one recovered be dismantled and put into a backpack to be assembled again?

 

[BrianJohnson]

I think the celebrating guy is definitely an accomplice, it is no coincidence that CK was shot exactly at the time the transgender question came up and that the bullets were marked with transgender slogans, I think he planned to shoot CK at the point he was talking about transgender and cheering guy alerted him when CK was, and cheering guy was looking at his friend as if to say “great shot”

 

[Elley Mae]

The footage showed the suspect on a roof on campus, across from the quad. After the shots were fired, the suspect moved to the far right corner, climbed to the edge, and jumped off the building.

As he did that, he left palm impressions and a shoe imprint.

The suspect then moved across the grass and parking lot, crossed the street, and moved into the wooded area, where the high-powered rifle was found.

Video shows suspect in Charlie Kirk murder jump from building, move across campus

Utah Gov. Cox announced his plans to pursue the death penalty in the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk.Gov. Cox, withFBI Director Kash Patel, FB

kutv.com

 

[EncyclopediaBrownJr]

Really looks like there is something in his right pant-leg in this photo that would explain the limping motion as he walked onto the Campus.

But I do find something strange. For one, the photo of the black synthetic Mauser M18 rifle the Newyork post showed can't really be disassembled. The stock and forestock is one piece; and the barrel on those guns are thread locked. I suppose you could break the thread locked barrel beforehand but I'm not sure if you can just screw it back in later. Thing is, even if he did assemble the gun from 2 or more smaller pieces, why on Earth hide one of the piece in his pants and limp around instead of putting the parts in the sizeable backpack he was wearing?

The rifle fully assembled is about 42 inches long, depending on the barrel. The barrel is 22 or 24 inches long. If it was the barrel that was removed he should have been able to fit both into the bag easily. But what if it was the stock that somehow could be removed in a way just not apparent in photographs? The stock looks to be about half the length of the barrel, so 11 or 12 inches, leaving a larger piece of about 30 inches that would be too large to fit in the backpack which is about 22 inches across diagonally per the Amazon dimensions.

When does this guy disassemble the rifle? The video from flag hall makes it seem he ran right after the shot was taken. The video of him jumping off the roof shows him running from his shooting position to his jump off spot.

So when does he disassemble the rifle? If it is disassembled, why is it found assembled in the wooded area?

The more I look at this guys pics the more I get pissed.

 

[StackEye476]

When does this guy disassemble the rifle? The video from flag hall makes it seem he ran right after the shot was taken. The video of him jumping off the roof shows him running from his shooting position to his jump off spot.

So when does he disassemble the rifle? If it is disassembled, why is it found assembled in the wooded area?

The more I look at this guys pics the more I get pissed.

Talking about before he gets to the roof; he isn't seen carrying the rifle, it is too big to fit into his backpack with no disassembly whatsoever, he has a limp in his right leg arriving on campus he doesn't have later when running away, and his right pant-leg also looks rather odd when going up the stairs. So the idea is he assembled the rifle from 2 pieces once he arrived on campus with one being hidden in that right pant-leg explaining the apparent limp, and then ran away with the rifle wrapped in a towel they found it in later.

It is still odd, because the picture of the rifle shown by the Newyork post that is the supposed murder weapon doesn't look like a rifle that can be disassembled at all really outside the bolt but that doesn't reduce length. But maybe the photographs are just deceiving on that front and the stock actually is removable. If the weapon wasn't assembled from 2 or more smaller pieces, and it can't fit in the bag, then the only remaining possible explanation was the weapon was prepositioned. But the limp arriving on campus, combined with he way he had no problem running and jumping later, and the odd looking pant-leg all together make people think he was hiding something in the pants causing the limp.

 

[Elley Mae]

“The alleged shooter, before any of the sirens or people were walking out, talked to the excavator guy,” Hope said. “The excavator guy stopped him because we’re not supposed to have people on here.”

The man told the construction worker he was “trying to get home safe” after a shooting, Hope said.

Police officers later appeared with a canine and tracked the shooter through the site and onto a property next door, Hope said. He didn’t know if the shooter parked a vehicle near the construction site.

FBI recovers rifle used in Charlie Kirk shooting, traces path through woods

FBI investigators released limited details about the bolt-action rifle recovered in Utah. They're tracing a path the alleged shooter fled on.

www.usatoday.com

 

[nothinonyou]

That's a pretty big limp he has on the video making his way to campus. A limp that he does not have even when he jumps off the roof. He wouldn't be able to run away or even climb a roof with such a significant limp. Not very helpful sorry just really strange to see