A veteran who once described the times he fired his army weapon as ‘the greatest moments of my life’ was questioned by FBI agents Thursday afternoon in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Jason Christopher Hartley was visited by investigators at his modest single-story home in Salt Lake City, with News Media present to observe the questioning by authorities.

However, similar to the two individuals named as persons of interest on Wednesday, Hartley was promptly allowed to return to his home, rejoining his wife and two young children.

‘I did not kill Charlie Kirk,’ he told Daily Mail after he had been questioned.

FBI Agent Scott Kaul, who was part of the surveillance team at the veteran’s home that Thursday afternoon, confirmed to Daily Mail that Hartley is considered a person of interest in Kirk’s murder, but mentioned that he is just ‘one of many’ in this prominent assassination investigation.

The 50-year-old, a registered Democrat, served as a National Guardsman in New York, contributing to security efforts at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks.

 In the past he has talked about his love of guns.

‘The few times I discharged my weapon, those were the greatest moments of my life,’ Hartley, who sports a mustache and goatee unlike the photos released by the FBI, stated in a YouTube video while promoting a book he authored about army life.

Jason Christopher Hartley, 50, was visited by investigators at his small single-story home in Salt Lake City – and Daily Mail was on hand to watch him as he was questioned by authorities. But like the two men who were named persons of interest on Wednesday, Hartley was quickly allowed back to his home to his wife and two young children.

Within minutes of his arrival home, nine undercover law enforcement vehicles showed up on the street, including those from the FBI, Salt Lake City Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

The 50-year-old is a registered Democrat and served as a National Guardsman in New York providing security to the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks

‘I think I have reverse PTSD, where I think about firing my weapon every single day.

‘But not in the way of like, that was horrible, I can’t stop thinking about it. But like, that was so f***ing cool, I wish that there was a way I could relive it every single day.’

Kirk, 31, was killed Wednesday, as he spoke at the Utah Valley University in Orem, south of Salt Lake City, where Hartley works as a software engineer.

Just over 24 hours later Hartley arrived at his home in the north east part of Salt Lake City in the shadow of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway after a day at work.

He parked his blue pickup in front of their home. His wife, Mickie Pratt, 36, greeted him and they spoke briefly. Almost immediately, law enforcement officers approached and quietly talked to him in the front yard.

Dressed in jeans and a dark T-shirt, and with a small goatee and mustache, he appeared calm, shaking the hands of investigators as they approached. At some points, they all seemed to laugh.

His wife went back inside the house to be with their five-year-old son and baby, who had been napping when we spoke with her about 15 minutes earlier.

Hartley parked his blue pickup in front of their home. His wife, Mickie Pratt, 36, greeted him and they spoke briefly. Almost immediately, law enforcement officers approached and quietly talked to him in the front yard

Hartley was visited by investigators at his small single-story home in Salt Lake City – and Daily Mail was on hand to watch him as he was questioned by authorities

Kirk’s body was flown on Air Force Two back to his Arizona home. His grieving wife, Erica, was on the flight as well as their two children and Vice President JD Vance

A source close to the assassination probe said law enforcement zeroed in on Hartley earlier on Thursday.

The veteran was not arrested and there are no charges against him. He was not cuffed or restrained in any way.

His wife, Mickie Pratt, 36, told Daily Mail that she was unsure Hartley even knew who Kirk was, and that neither of them had gone to the UVU campus event on Wednesday.

Hartley wrote a book about his time serving in Iraq titled Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq, published in October 2005.

He was interviewed by YouTube channel Big Think in April 2012, in which he confessed a love for gunfire.

‘I fired my weapon three times at people, with the intent to kill them twice,’ he said, describing his time serving in Iraq.

‘It is very visceral,’ he added. ‘You feel incredibly focused. I almost feel guilty explaining this sometimes.

‘For lack of a better word, it was fun. It felt good.

‘Maybe that’s because I was lucky enough not to actually kill anyone and not have to see the result of the violence. I just got to have all of the upside and none of the downside.

‘I got to have a small degree of fear for my life and I got to respond to it in the way I was trained.

Hartley wrote a book about his time serving in Iraq titled Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq, published in October 2005.

‘It was – you know – it was exhilarating.’

Daily Mail obtained previous social media posts in which he talked about ‘bolt action’ rifles like the one used to shoot Kirk

More recent social media profile pictures show him as a white man with a slight build, a rough match for photos released by the FBI of their suspect.

His LinkedIn page says his most recent job is as a Senior Engineer for Android phones at a company that creates ‘safe tech for kids’, including devices without social media and internet.

A profile for the author on publisher Harper Collins website described him as ‘Born and raised in Salt Lake City’ and ‘a member of the Army National Guard’.

Voter registration records show Hartley as a decades-long Democrat.

Hartley weighed in on an argument between several Twitter users about gun control in September 2019, alluding to his knowledge of a bolt action rifle.

Hartley argued that AR-15 and AK-47s should be termed ‘assault rifles’, and another user replied ‘Assault rifles are only called that because they look scary to people who dont know guns.’

‘I’m sorry, but that’s simply not true,’ Hartley wrote. ‘There are important differences between the features of an AR-15 and, say, a bolt action rifle chambered for the same round.’

Kirk’s shooter allegedly used a .30-06 caliber Mauser bolt action rifle. A weapon matching the description was recovered from a wooded area near the campus.

Hartley was a campaigner for veterans’ issues, according to Words of Veterans, a website devoted to ex-military writers.

Hartley weighed in on an argument between several Twitter users about gun control in September 2019, alluding to his knowledge of a bolt action rifle. Hartley argued that AR-15 and AK-47s should be termed ‘assault rifles’

‘Jason Hartley embraced the role of advocate, becoming a passionate voice for veterans’ issues,’ the site said in a write-up of his 2005 book.

‘He recognized the importance of amplifying the voices of those who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, advocating for the support, recognition, and understanding that veterans rightfully deserve.’

The site said he served in ‘the New York Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry’.

Hartley previously lived in New York City, but moved back to Salt Lake in recent years according to his voter and property records.

He described his wife, Pratt, as an ‘NYC bartender’ in a 2022 tweet. She appears to have moved with him to Salt Lake.

Pratt is a registered Republican, according to Utah records viewed by Daily Mail.

The couple bought a two-bed, two-bath house there in April 2021, now worth about $525,000 according to Zillow.

 Dave Christiansen, a neighbor a few doors down and across the street, stood watching from under his flagpole, where he had lowered his flag to half-mast in honor of Charlie Kirk’s killing. Christiansen said Thursday’s cluster of unmarked law enforcement cars was the ‘most exciting thing’ that has happened on Warnock Ave. in the 15 years he has lived here.

He said he has seen Hartley, but didn’t know him and didn’t want to jump to conclusions about his involvement in Kirk’s killing.

‘I just want them to catch whatever person really did it.’

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