The suspect linked to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now in custody after an intense manhunt. The announcement was made on Friday morning by President Donald Trump.
Trump said he learnt only five minutes before going on air with Fox & Friends that the suspect had been apprehended. According to the president, the person of interest was turned in to the police with the help of a minister, a U.S. Marshal, and the suspect’s own father.
“Somebody who was very close to him turned him in,” Trump said. He shared that the father made contact through a minister connected to law enforcement.
Authorities later confirmed the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, a Utah native. Robinson is accused of fatally shooting 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, a husband to Erika and father of two young children, during a stop on his “American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University. Officials said the gunman was in a building that is 200 yards across from a tent where Kirk was seated at the Losee Centre when the fatal shot was fired.
A video released by investigators showed the suspect fleeing the scene. The footage, described as both chilling and critical to the case, captured the suspect running across the roof of a one-storey building before leaping to the ground and walking away. He was later tracked to a wooded area, where officers recovered a high-powered rifle believed to have been used in the shooting.
Additional footage from a doorbell camera shows moments before the shooting occurred when the suspect was walking through a neighbourhood. He is walking toward the university, and his weapon is believed to be concealed.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox condemned the crime, calling the shooter an “evil human being”. He confirmed that prosecutors intend to pursue the death penalty in the case. Cox also noted the extraordinary effort involved in the investigation, revealing that more than 7,000 tips were received and over 200 interviews conducted within just a few days.
Investigators also released enhanced images of the suspect’s clothing, which included an all-black outfit, a shirt displaying an American flag and eagle, and a cap with a triangle insignia.
President Trump praised the coordinated effort between law enforcement and community members that ultimately brought Robinson into custody.
