- Utah Governor Spencer J Cox named Tyler Robinson as the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk
- He said the suspect had grown more political and was opposed to Charlie Kirk's beliefs
- The governor identified Robinson at a press conference shortly after Trump revealed the suspect had been found
The suspect in the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been captured. The man in custody has been identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, said Utah Governor Spencer J Cox. He said the suspect had grown "more political" and was opposed to Charlie Kirk's beliefs, adding he indicated to a family friend that he was responsible for the killing.
He also cited as key pieces of evidence engravings on bullets found in a rifle believed used in the attack as well as chatting app messages attributed to the accused shooter that a roommate shared with law enforcement after the shooting.
"With a high degree of certainty, we have him," US President Donald Trump announced in a live interview on Fox News Channel on Friday morning. He claimed that the person who was "very close to him" turned him in.
Video played at a press briefing late on Thursday showed a man walking across the roof of the building where the gunfire originated, before climbing down and dropping to the ground and leaving the campus. Across the road, he entered a small wooded area where officials recovered what they described as a high-powered, bolt-action rifle they believe was used in the shooting.
His face was partially concealed by a baseball cap and sunglasses. He was carrying a black backpack and wearing a shirt with what appeared to be an American flag printed on it.
As per the investigators, the suspect blended into the campus crowd because of his college-age appearance.
The man left some palm impressions and smudges and investigators were looking to collect DNA, said Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason. "There's a shoe imprint where we believe the suspect is clearly identified as wearing Converse tennis shoes," he added. The FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Kirk's killer.
31-year-old Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
The attack, carried out in full public view, was captured on videos that spread on social media. The videos show Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out. Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck.
Bolt-action rifles, unlike self-loading semi-automatic rifles often used in mass shootings, are popular with American game hunters, target shooters and snipers in militaries around the world. They require the manual loading of each cartridge into the chamber with a turn of the bolt, but are perceived as more accurate at longer ranges when a single, fatal shot is all that is needed.
Trump said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour.
"Charlie Kirk was a great person, a great man - great in every way, especially with youth" Trump told reporters.
Vice President JD Vance credited him with helping Trump win the 2024 presidential election and select people appointed to the Trump administration.
Vance cancelled a trip to New York and instead travelled to Utah to see Kirk's family and to fly them and Kirk's casket home to Arizona aboard Air Force Two.
