The bullet used to kill conservative activist Charlie Kirk was engraved with transgender and anti-fascist ideology, according to a law bulletin.
The bulletin received by ATF agents, as highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, indicated that the ammunition discovered inside the .30 caliber hunting rifle bore inscriptions.
The 31-year-old was gunned down on Wednesday while speaking at a university event in Orem, Utah.
Sources told the outlet that the weapon was wrapped up in a towel, with a spent cartridge in the chamber.
Another three unspent rounds were discovered in the magazine, all of which contained wording on them.
At the time of the incident, Kirk was addressing students and had just brought up the topic of transgender individuals being associated with mass shootings moments before he was tragically killed.
The FBI revealed earlier this morning that they had recovered the firearm they believe was used in the killing of Kirk.
Robert Bohls, the special agent leading the Salt Lake City field office, stated that agents had retrieved a ‘high-powered bolt-action rifle’ from a nearby wooded location.
Kirk is seen here speaking at Utah Valley University before he was murdered on Wednesday
According to Bohls, the assassin – who has since been described as a male of college age – fled to the wooded area after the shooting.
Beau Mason, Utah’s public safety chief, said that investigators have ‘good video footage’ of the suspect.
They said the gunman managed to blend in with students on the college campus, having just arrived shortly before noon.
After making the fatal shot, authorities say he jumped from the roof of the building, before fleeing the campus into a neighborhood.
Bohls said that the weapon was sent to an FBI lab for further analysis, with officials also finding palm and footwear prints on the scene
The agent added that the FBI has received more than 130 tips since Kirk was gunned down.
A manhunt remains underway, with little known about the shooter’s identity at this time.
First responders initially described the gunman as being dressed all in black, with aviator-style sunglasses.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls, on the left, along with Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason, addressed the media during a Thursday morning press briefing.
The shooter, who was able to merge with the students on the university grounds, had entered the campus just ahead of midday. The rooftop figure shown here was observed in the aftermath of the incident.
Kirk was fielding questions from the audience inside the Sorensen Center courtyard on the campus at the time.
‘Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?’ the person asked. Kirk responded, ‘Too many.’
The questioner followed up: ‘Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?’
‘Counting or not counting gang violence?’ Kirk asked. Then a shot rang out. Kirk immediately slumped over as the crowd descended into a frenzy.
About 3,000 people were in attendance, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety.
The university police department had six officers working the event, along with Kirk’s own security detail, authorities said.
Law enforcement quickly detained an elderly man, later identified as 71-year-old George Zinn, who reportedly confessed to discharging the fatal shot immediately following the event.
Authorities soon determined that he was not involved in the assassination, and later confirmed that another man they had taken into custody was not the shooter either.
