An internal email from an ATF officer, obtained by conservative commentator Steven Crowder, reveals that a Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle, along with cartridges, was discovered in the woods near Utah Valley University, where TPUSA Founder Charlie Kirk was fatally shot. The email states that the cartridges bore engravings containing “transgender and anti-fascist ideology.”
According to the internal communication, an emergency trace was initiated, with an ATF SLC working on leads from the trace. The firearm and ammunition were seized by the FBI for DNA analysis and fingerprinting. The email details that on September 10, 2025, Kirk was killed during a speech at Utah Valley University as part of the American Comeback Tour. A suspect fired one shot from an elevated rooftop position before fleeing on foot. Law enforcement located the rifle in a wooded area near the campus, matching the suspect’s escape route.
The spent cartridge remained chambered, with three additional rounds in the magazine. All cartridges featured engraved ideological messaging. The FBI confirmed the discovery of a “high-powered bolt action rifle” near the shooting site, aligning with the ATF email. The case remains under investigation, co-led by the FBI and Utah SBI, with multiple suspects identified through eyewitness accounts and surveillance footage.
