The suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk has been captured, President Donald Trump announced Friday in a statement, marking a significant step forward in the investigation into a targeted killing that has raised renewed concerns about political violence in the United States.
“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,”Trump announced in a live interview on Fox News Channel.He said a minister involved with law enforcement turned the suspect over to authorities.
“Someone very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’”Trump said.
The suspect in custody is a 22-year-old Utah man, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Authorities have identified him as Tyler Robinson, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
News of the arrest came hours after the FBI and state officials asked for public help by releasing additional photographs of the suspect, a move that appeared to indicate law enforcement was unsure of the individual's whereabouts.
Kirk was shot while speaking to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem. More than 7,000 tips and leads piled up as authorities responded to the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.
A bolt-action .30-caliber Mauser rifle was found on a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three more rounds were loaded into the magazine, according to information circulated among law enforcement and described to The Associated Press.
The murder offers the latest example of how common security measures can be circumvented in a time of rising political violence, when anyone linked to the political process is a potential target. Security experts interviewed by the AP questioned whether the event was sufficiently staffed, but also acknowledged the limitations of both campus police forces and the outdoor spaces.
