Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah on Wednesday while he was addressing a debate at a university. The FBI has recoevered a “high-powee” used in the shooting but the shooter remains to be at large.
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday morning that Republican activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at a college campus, will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nationโs highest civilian honour, US media has reported.
Speaking at a 9/11 memorial event, Trump said Kirk will be awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honour.
Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump, was killed by a single shot fired from a rooftop while addressing hundreds of students at Utah Valley University, authorities said.
The gunman escaped amid the chaos as students screamed and fled for safety. By early Thursday, federal, state and local agencies were still searching for the unidentified attacker and said they were handling โmultiple active crime scenes.โ Two people detained on Wednesday were later released after the FBI confirmed they had no connection to the shooting.
Trump earlier announced Kirkโs death on social media, calling him “great, and even legendary.”ย In a later video statement from the White House, he described Kirk as a โmartyr for truth and freedomโ and accused the โradical leftโ of fostering the climate that led to the assassination.
FBI recovers gun used in Charlie Kirk’s killing
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said that it has recovered the ‘high-powered bolt action’ rifle that was used to kill Kirk.ย Speaking to the media, Utah DPS Commissioner Beau Mason said the rifle was recovered from a ‘woodedย area’ and the forensic teams are examining it.
Mason also said the probe agency has the video footage of Kirk’s killer, who fled to a neighbourhood after killing Kirk.ย He added that the suspect “appears to be of college age”, and he “blended in” with the college population.
“We are confident we will be able to identify him,” the official said. “Investigators have collected footwear impression, a palmprint and forearm imprints for analysis.”
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