Utah student saw man 'familiar' to suspect on campus roof weeks before Charlie Kirk's death
The student said he was not sure whether the man was the same as the person seen in the visuals released by the FBI, adding that he “looked familiar”.
As the manhunt is underway for the suspect who fatally shot conservative leader Charlie Kirk at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University, a student has reportedly claimed that he saw a man walking on or near the roof of the Losee Center twice in the past two weeks.
The perimeter of the Losee Center at UVU was blocked by the state police on Thursday as the search for the shooter continued. While authorities have not yet confirmed that the shot that killed Kirk came from the Center, they have said that the gun is likely to have been fired from the roof of a campus building about 200 yards away from where Charlie Kirk was seated. Follow latest updates on Charlie Kirk's assassination
The Federal Bureau of Investigation had earlier asked the public to submit any information, photos or videos they had of the event to the agency to help the probe move forward. They also issued a tipline for the public to call and pass on any information that might be helpful for the investigation.
ALSO READ | Has FBI identified Charlie Kirk's shooter? New footage, evidence deepen probe
The FBI also released pictures of the alleged suspect in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk and asked the public to help identify the person.
A UVU student on Thursday told CNN that he saw a man walking on or near the roof of the Losee Center twice in the past two weeks. While he was not sure whether it was the same person as seen in the images released by the law enforcement authorities, the student asserted that the man "looked familiar".
Further, the student said that it was not usual to see someone on that part of the roof. "It was weird," he told CNN.
He said that he last saw that individual on the roof at noon last Wednesday, exactly a week before Kirk's assassination.
The university student told CNN that he reported this information to the FBI tipline after the shooting, adding that he hasn't heard back from the authorities yet.
ALSO READ | Chilling videos capture moment Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah: Blow-by-blow account
He described the individual as a "tall, skinny-ish white dude (who) had dark hair. He had this backpack on and was wearing dark clothes." The student further claimed that this man was looking down at the courtyard area where Kirk's event was held.
While the student found it to be unusual for someone to be near the roof, he did not report it to authorities at the time.
A professor had also reportedly noticed the man on the roof and even called out to him, the student said. He added that the professor asked, "Hey, man, are you doing all right?", to which that individual "just kind of dismissed what he said".
Charlie Kirk death investigation
New CCTV footage, the pictures and now the claim have seemingly deepened the complexity of the probe.
Notably, the FBI has yet to make any remarks on the university student's claims.
Additionally, the federal probe agency has also offered a reward of $100,000 for information that could lead to identifying the man seen in the visuals and subsequently his arrest.
The FBI then released some more pictures of the alleged shooter, who was seen wearing a black t-shirt, a black backpack, a blue baseball cap, black sunglasses and blue jeans
Later in the day, the federal agency also released a video of the alleged shooter jumping off from a rooftop and running away from the location after the shooting. They said that authorities collected evidence of shoe impressions, forearm imprint and a palm imprint.
In a press conference on Thursday morning, FBI agent Robert Bohls also announced that law enforcement authorities had found a "high-powered-bolt-action rifle" in the woods near Utah Valley University during the search for Kirk's assassin.
Bohls said the shooter was not hiding in the woods. "
We walked through those woods and secured it,” Bohls said at a news conference. As to the community, I can tell you that this was a targeted event. We don’t believe the community is at risk. However, we are exhausting every resource to find him, and we will do so," he added.
