The investigation into the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is going to intensify over the coming days. Kirk, 31, was shot to death with a single shot fired, striking him in the neck from a rooftop about 200 yards away from where he was making a public appearance on the campus of Utah Valley University. The FBI, meanwhile, released two photos late Thursday morning of a “person of interest” that were taken soon after the shooting. Kirk’s assassination sent shockwaves through the realm of American political discourse, and authorities now want to resolve the killing as quickly as possible. ABC News Crime and Terrorism analyst Brad Garrett appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to explain what he can about the search for the gunman, who vanished in the post-assassination confusion.
Garrett told host Larry Mendte that he thinks police may know more about the killer, or at least may have possible leads, than they’re letting on publicly: “He only did one shot, which means he’s got some level of proficiency. If you combine that with what law enforcement just told us [earlier] in a press conference- that they got video of a guy going up on the roof, coming down from the roof, going in to a wooded area [and] ditching the assault weapon… that he then just disappeared into this neighborhood- they seemed like they maybe know who he is. There’s a level of confidence in their voices that suggest to me that they’re onto this guy.”
Garrett feels whether the motive was professional or personal also becomes an avenue for investigators to examine: “Could he have been hired- directed- to go do this? Maybe, and that’s an angle I’m sure they’re looking at. Or was this just another personal vendetta, not personal against Charlie Kirk but more what Charlie Kirk stands for, that he committed this shooting? But clearly it’s somebody who knows how to shoot, and so I think you’ve got to start with that.”
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