FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday night said law enforcement has released a "subject" who was in custody in connection with the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and that the investigation is ongoing.

Kirk was shot earlier Wednesday at an event in Utah and has been confirmed dead at the age of 31. He was speaking at the Utah Valley University in Orem at the time of the shooting.

President Donald Trump also confirmed Kirk's death in a post on Truth Social, and ordered flags nationwide to be flown at half staff until Sunday evening in honor of Kirk.

Patel did not indicate why the subject had been released but promised to provide updates on the investigation.

"The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement," Patel said on X. "Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency."

The update comes after Utah's Republican Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters in a news briefing that a "person of interest" was in custody.

“This is a dark day for our state, it’s a tragic day for our nation,” Cox said. “I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination ... We have a person of interest in custody. The investigation is ongoing.”

The Utah Department of Public Safety said the person of interest and another individual who was taken into custody earlier Wednesday are no longer believed to be tied to the shooting.

"We initially took in George Zinn as a suspect," the department said. "He was later released and charged with obstruction .. A second suspect, Zachariah Qureshi, was taken into custody and released after interrogation with law enforcement. There are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals. There is an ongoing investigation and manhunt for the shooter."

Multiple agencies are investigating the assassination, including the FBI, Orem Police, Utah Valley University Police and the Utah Department of Public Safety, the New York Times reported. The Homeland Security Investigations is also helping with the investigation.

Authorities believe that the assassination was a targeted attack because there was a single shot and a single victim. 

Warning: Graphic

Video footage showed Kirk speaking under a tent to a large crowd outdoors before being blown out off his stool.

Kirk has been one of the most influential voices on the right in recent years, notably founding Turning Point USA chapters at universities across the country and hosting speakers' summits for young conservatives.

Kirk was on a Turning Point USA tour at the time of his death. The tour, which was scheduled to stop in nine states, was intended to equip students "with the tools to push back against leftwing indoctrination in academia and reclaim their right to free speech."

"More than just a celebration of conservative momentum, this tour is a direct response to those trying to silence dissenting voices," a press release on the tour said, per Fox News. 

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X. Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.