Assassination of Charlie Kirk | The murderer always on the run

(Orem) Who killed the conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday? Man hunting continued the day after his death. We always ignore the identity and the reasons of the shooter who killed the 31 -year -old man on the campus of Utah Valley University. But anger rumbles among his supporters, who attribute the responsibility of the murder to the “radical left”.

The FBI broadcast on Thursday the photo of a young white man with dark hair, eyes hidden by smoked glasses, identifying him as a “person of interest”. A video showing the presumed shooter to run away from the campus was also put online by the authorities.

“Our investigation continues,” wrote the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, after released a suspect on Wednesday. The Federal Agency offered a reward of US $ 100,000 for information leading to the shooter.

The alleged weapon was found in wooded land near the university. Footprints of a shoe and palm of one hand were also noted on site.

A “very premeditated” attack

The shooter would have positioned himself on a roof of the Utah Valley University campus, about 180 m from the place where Kirk was installed for a rally as part of his American Comeback tour. He was known for his speeches and his oratorical games with the crowd, defending in particular nationalist Christian values.

“It was not necessarily such a difficult shot, which would have requested military or police experience,” said Hal Kempfer, security specialist.

But the attack was “very premeditated, very planned”, adds the retired navy officer, head of a Californian risk management company.

Some 3000 people came to listen to the founder of the Turning Point USA organization. No other injured was reported.

“The shooting line would have been the shooter’s challenge,” said Kempfer. He had to avoid reaching one of the many people gathered around the speaker, settling in height. But without choosing a place too high, because the awning under which Kirk was seated could obstruct his sight.

A single shot seems to have been fired. He reached Kirk around the neck. The weapon was not semi-automatic and is easily accessible, used in particular for hunting, notes Mr. Kempfer.

Theories

How could the shooter plan to plan his gesture so precisely? Internet users have issued their own theories, advancing, among other things, that he would have had the help of a person in the organization of the rally. Going so far as to broadcast images of a man touching his cap before shooting – a gesture interpreted as a signal.

“It is problematic and reckless,” comments Jeffrey Belvins, professor at the University of Cincinnati, specialist in social networks and conspiracy theories. “It puts a target on the back of people, it creates false suspicions,” he adds on the phone.

It is also possible that the university organizes this type of gathering in the same place and in the same way from one time to the other, notes Mr. Kempfer.

The expert believes that the security of certain events should be reviewed. The use of drones flying over the campus might have allowed the Utah authorities to identify the presence of a potential shooter on the roof.

“This is the anniversary of September 11 and it reminds me of the campaign at the time: if you see something suspicious, report it,” he recalls. I think the events remind us that if we see something out of the ordinary, it must be said. »»

Reactions

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, rejected the responsibility of the murder on the “radical left”, however by calling on his supporters not to respond to it by violence.

“He militated for non -violence. This is how I would like people to answer, “he said on Thursday.

Trump announced that he would put Kirk posthumously the presidential freedom of freedom, the highest civil distinction in the United States.

The activist had supported Trump in his campaigns, helping him win support for young voters.

The United States vice-president JD Vance, who considered Kirk as a “real friend”, helped carry the deceased coffin to bring him to his government plane, Air Force Two, according to a video shared by the White House.

Vance also canceled his presence at commemoration activities of September 11 to join the Kirk family in Utah.

Figures known to the radical right have also spoke to denounce the assassination – like people from all political backgrounds. But their speech worries experts.

“The best way for President Trump to consolidate Charlie’s inheritance is to suppress the left with all the strength of the government,” wrote Laura Loomer, an activist close to Trump. Any left -wing group that finances violent demonstrations must be dismantled and prosecuted. »»

She also called on Internet users to publicly exhibit those who disseminated messages celebrating the murder of Kirk.

“I think we are currently in an extremely dangerous situation that could easily degenerate into more generalized civilian troubles if we cannot master it,” said Mike Jensen, expert at the University of Maryland. It could well serve as a point of ignition and inspire others. »»

The Republican President of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, asked for a moment of silent prayer at the Congress. Another elected Republican, Lauren Boebert, asked that she be done out loud, attracting the critics of the Democrats – taking into account in particular shots in a school also occurred on Thursday.

Cris was shot. “You are the cause (of Kirk’s assassination)!” “Launched a republican elected representative, Anna Paulina Luna.

With Reuters, The New York TimesAgency France-Presse