FBI Backtracks After Releasing Suspect in Fatal Shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University

|By Adejumo Adekunle

Utah authorities are scrambling to find the gunman who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, after federal officials admitted that the man earlier taken into custody was not the shooter.

Kash Patel, the FBI director, ignited confusion on Wednesday when he announced on X that the “subject for the horrific shooting today” had been arrested. Just two hours later, Patel reversed course, writing that the man had been released after interrogation and that “our investigation continues.”

The reversal capped a chaotic day marked by shock, fear, and anger. Thousands of people had gathered at the university to hear Kirk, 31, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, when the shooting unfolded in broad daylight. Officials described the attack as a political assassination.

Patel’s misstep drew criticism and embarrassment for the bureau’s top official, who broke with the FBI’s tradition of cautious communication by posting updates before Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and law enforcement could deliver their first on-camera briefing. Minutes after Patel’s post, Utah’s Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the manhunt remained active, pledging that state and federal authorities would “find this killer.”

Gov. Cox confirmed that a “person of interest” had been questioned but stopped short of calling the individual a suspect. Another man, briefly detained at the scene and seen in widely circulated videos, was also cleared of involvement.

The FBI’s handling of the case came under sharper scrutiny as Patel simultaneously faced a lawsuit filed by three former bureau agents, who accused him of prioritizing social media and self-promotion over the agency’s mission.

As of late Wednesday, no arrests had been made, and the shooter who cut short Kirk’s life remained at large.