Federal officials probe rifle and ammo scrawled with cultural phrases after Charlie Kirk killing
From CNN’s Evan Perez and Scott Glover
A range of phrases related to cultural issues were found scrawled on a rifle and ammunition found in the woods near where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered on Wednesday, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Authorities are analyzing those messages as they seek to identify a suspect in the killing, sources said, but it’s not yet clear if they point to a motivation in the attack. Among the markings were initials that authorities are seeking to match with suspect profiles, one source said.
Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Salt Lake City office, said at a news conference this morning that agents recovered “a high-powered bolt action rifle” in “a wooded area where the shooter had fled.” The FBI laboratory will analyze the weapon, Bohls said.