The weapon that was apparently used to kill Kirk carried ideological messages

Investigators found ammunition engraved with statements promoting transgender and anti-fascist ideology in the rifle that may have been used to murder Charlie Kirk, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to a source cited by the publication, the magazine contained a total of three unfired cartridges with engraved inscriptions.

Kirk, 31, an influential ally and supporter of incumbent US President Donald Trump, died from his injuries after an attacker shot him in the neck during a speech at an event at a university in the state of Utah on Wednesday.

Investigators found a rifle in a nearby wooded area and are examining it along with palm prints and traces. The search for the perpetrator continues.

According to the FBI and state authorities, the shooter arrived on the premises just minutes before the event began, and surveillance cameras recorded him climbing stairs to the roof of a nearby building, from where he fired at Kirk. The shooter appeared to be a student and “blended in well” with the university environment, investigators said. The FBI has “good video footage” but does not want to release it.

Trump called Kirk a “martyr” and announced that he would posthumously award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

(reuters, est)