President Donald Trump said Friday with"a high degree of certainty" that the suspected gunman in the killing of far-right influencer Charlie Kirk has been captured. Federal investigators and state officials released photos and video of the alleged shooter on Thursday.

Four sources familiar with the matter also told CNN that one person is in custody and being questioned in connection with the fatal shooting.

According to several sources who spoke to the press, the killer was identified as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old resident of the state of Utah.

In an interview on"Fox & Friends," Trump explained that authorities have a suspect in custody, calling Kirk"the greatest person," and harshly criticizing the shooter, whose name has not yet been released.

"The father handed him over"

Trump also revealed that a religious figure involved with the police got the father of Charlie Kirk's killer to hand over the shooter.

BREAKING: President Trump gives 'breaking news,' says a minister involved with law enforcement got the Charlie Kirk assassin's father to turn the shooter in

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) September 12, 2025

Trump said someone went to the"father," who in turn went to a U.S. marshal,"who, by the way, was fantastic."

That "person" — presumably the one who recognized the suspect — was a "person of faith, a minister."

"The father convinced the son," Trump said, adding that he may need to be corrected:"I speak based on what I hear."

A billboard in Tel Aviv depicts Trump and Kirk, a fervent anti-Palestinian. Photo: EFE

When asked for clarification, Trump claimed that the father,"meaning his father," intervened and told his son,"We have to go inside" the police station.

"They broke into the police station, and he's there now," he said.

Two of the sources told CNN that the detained man confessed to his father that he was the shooter.

His father informed the authorities and stated that he had taken his son into custody until he could be formally arrested.

"I hope they give him the death penalty."

"Well, I hope — I imagine he'll be found guilty — and I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump said."What he did, Charlie Kirk, he was the greatest person; he didn't deserve this. He worked so hard and so well, everyone appreciated him."

Later in the interview, he added that Utah Governor Spencer Cox has indicated that he will seek the death penalty for Kirk's shooter.

The exact moment of the attack

"In Utah, they have the death penalty, and they have a very good governor," Trump said."The governor, I know, is very determined to pursue the death penalty in this case."

Asked if the Kirk shooting was an isolated incident, Trump said,"It appears to be."

The president also claimed he had not seen the video of Kirk's death after several videos of the shooting on the Utah Valley University campus were posted on social media.

Kirk, a 31-year-old radical right-wing politician close to President Trump, was shot in the neck on Wednesday while giving a talk on the student-packed campus of the University of Utah in Orem. Authorities asked the public for help identifying him.

So far, two people have been arrested and then released.

The attacker's movements

The shooter is known to have arrived on campus at 11:52 a.m. Wednesday, blending in with some 3,000 students attending the event with Kirk. He climbed a ladder to his position on a rooftop and opened fire around 12:20 p.m.

The FBI recovered a weapon—an imported.30-06 Mauser bolt-action rifle—wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the scene. They also found a screwdriver likely used to assemble and disassemble the weapon. They also found anti-fascist and transgender inscriptions on the ammunition.

A palm print and a shoe print were being analyzed during these hours.

In an attempt to identify them, the FBI has been releasing images of the shooter, including one that shows him escaping from the scene in broad daylight.

Chris Swecker, former assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigation Division, said that after the arrest, authorities will have to build a case to prosecute him, comparing his potential testimony with the evidence.

Officials will have to resist the temptation to make too much information available to the public to protect the trial and the memories of witnesses, Swecker said.

"They'll bring in someone who has some experience in this area, proven experience, and see what they can get from him. But in the meantime, they'll go through the process of matching the forensic evidence" with the young man's story, the expert said.

The crime had a profound impact on the Trump administration. Kirk was a personal friend of the president and his son, Donald Jr., and with his organization, Turning Point USA, he had managed to mobilize millions of young voters who supported the Republican in the 2024 elections.

Trump said in the interview that Kirk's wife is"devastated" by the murder."I spoke to his wife yesterday. She's devastated, but in the midst of the devastation, they want to keep Turning Point going," Trump said, referring to Kirk's nonprofit.

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