Charlie Kirk’s Killer Used Rifle, Ammo Etched with Trans and Antifascist Slogans

An internal ATF memo, received by on September 11, 2025, details the weapon and ammunition linked to the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

The memo, dated September 10, 2025, outlines the incident:

On September 10, 2025, at 12:24 PM, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University during his American Comeback Tour speech. The suspect fired a single .30-06 round from a rooftop perch on an adjacent campus building, then fled on foot, as captured by surveillance. ATF, alongside other agencies, recovered an older imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle, wrapped in a towel, in a wooded area along the suspect’s escape route. The rifle’s chamber held a spent cartridge, with three unspent rounds in the magazine, all engraved with transgender and antifascist slogans. The FBI has taken the firearm and ammo for DNA and fingerprint analysis. An emergency ATF trace is underway, and the rifle will be disassembled post-forensics for importer details. Multiple persons of interest have been detained based on eyewitness accounts and video, but the primary suspect remains at large. The FBI and Utah SBI are co-leading the investigation, with ATF and other federal, state, and local partners assisting.

Wall Street Journal Confirmation

The Wall Street Journal confirmed a post by Steven Crowder on X, reporting:

Ammunition etched with transgender and antifascist slogans was found in the .30-06 hunting rifle believed used to kill Charlie Kirk, per an internal law enforcement bulletin and a source close to the investigation. The rifle, wrapped in a towel with a spent cartridge in the chamber and three engraved unspent rounds, was found in woods near Utah Valley University after Wednesday’s shooting. Kirk, 31, was debating a student on transgender-related mass shootings when struck, per attack footage. The student’s identity remains undisclosed.

Incident Overview

Kirk, 31, was killed on September 10, 2025, during a Turning Point USA event attended by approximately 3,000 at Utah Valley University. The shooter, positioned on the Losee Center rooftop 200 yards away, fired one shot and fled into a nearby neighborhood. The recovered Mauser rifle and its engraved ammunition suggest a targeted attack with ideological motives. The FBI is analyzing evidence, and an ATF trace is probing the weapon’s origins.

The FBI, ATF, and Utah SBI are leading the probe, with a $100,000 FBI reward offered for tips leading to the suspect’s arrest. Tips can be submitted at fbi.gov/UtahValleyShooting.

Several individuals, including George Zinn and Zachariah Qureshi, have been detained but are not suspects. The primary suspect remains unidentified.

Two weeks prior, reports highlighted escalating tensions over Kirk’s campus tour, noting student protests and petitions at Utah Valley and Utah State universities, where Kirk was scheduled to speak on September 30.