Camilla Araujo has condemned social media's insensitive reactions to the killing of Charlie Kirk, who was shot in Utah during a college event on Wednesday, September 10.
“Regardless of your political beliefs, one day those children will grow up and see the way their father was brutally murdered. Maybe they're too young to understand right now, but they feel their mom’s pain," she said in a video.
Her voice broke as she criticized viral posts appearing to mock or cheer the news of Kirk’s death.
“That is disgusting,” she said. “I’m floored to see how some people are celebrating a human life’s death. Politics divides people, but this man was a husband and a father. One of his kids is so young they won’t even remember what it felt like to be loved by him.”
She paused before finishing, “I’m truly disgusted. I’m heartbroken. And my prayers go out to Charlie Kirk and his family.”
Federal investigators continued gathering evidence behind Utah Valley University’s Losee Center, where a gunman shot Kirk during an appearance on campus.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times that the weapon found nearby was a Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle. Agents marked a trail through the woods and up a small hill where they believe the shooter fled. The ATF has not commented due to the active investigation.
Electrician Dylan Hope told USA TODAY that his coworker, operating an excavator at a nearby construction site, had a brief exchange with a man matching the suspect’s description. The man reportedly asked if he could cut through the area, saying he was “trying to get home safe” after a shooting.
Police with K-9 units later tracked a trail through the site and onto adjacent property.
“I’ve been parking here every day,” Hope said. “I didn’t see any unfamiliar cars.”
Soon after, agents sealed the scene with police tape.
Tom Chittum, former ATF deputy director, said the .30-06 is a common hunting caliber, not typically used in mass shootings.
“The bolt-action means you fire once, then manually chamber another round,” he said. “This wasn’t a spray of bullets. It was one shot—deliberate.”
He added that while the shot required preparation, it didn’t necessarily require expert-level training.
“With optics and some practice, it’s not an impossible shot,” he said.
Now that the rifle is in federal custody, Chittum said it may yield fingerprints, DNA, and other forensics. “It’ll have biological evidence. The trace itself will produce leads.”