'What we're seeing is our adversaries want violence,' says Spencer Cox
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox alleged Thursday that Russian and Chinese bots are seeking to foment civil strife in the wake of the fatal shooting of American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
"What we're seeing is our adversaries want violence," Cox said as he and senior law enforcement officials briefed reporters. "We have bots from Russia, China, all over the world, that are trying to instill disinformation and encourage violence. I would encourage you to ignore those, to turn off those streams, and to spend a little more time with our families."
Cox said the FBI has received over 7,000 leads and tips from the public as 20 federal and local law enforcement agencies work on the ongoing manhunt, now well into its second day.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Wednesday while addressing a group of students at Utah Valley University in the city of Orem, some 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. The apparent targeted attack occurred despite security, including six university police officers and Kirk's private team.
Online videos captured the moment a bullet struck Kirk as he spoke, sending students fleeing in panic. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead hours later.
Cox presented photos disseminated by the FBI which depict an individual that law enforcement believes is a person of interest in the shooting. The grainy photos appear to depict a college-age male clad in a black long-sleeve t-shirt, jeans, a backpack, a baseball cap and black sunglasses.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason further ran through security camera footage appearing to show the suspect run from his shooting position, cross a rooftop, climb down an edge and jump off. Mason said the individual left behind "palm impressions" on the roof and said investigators are attempting to recover DNA from the area.
After hitting the ground, the suspect appears to run then walk away from the scene, cross a street and enter a wooded area.
The FBI earlier Thursday offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person who fatally shot Kirk.
The bureau said investigators found a "high-powered bolt-action rifle" that was recovered in a wooded area linked to the suspected shooter's escape route.
Multiple media reports suggested that ammunition engraved with "transgender and antifascist ideology" was found in the rifle. The reports cited an internal law enforcement document.
The New York Times cited an anonymous senior law enforcement official who stressed that the information had not been verified, did not match other summaries of evidence and may have been misread.
