Charlie Kirk’s suspected shooter has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah, according to the Associated Press.
A manhunt has been underway to find the individual responsible for Kirk’s death on Wednesday. The right-wing political activist was shot through the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
Close to 3,000 people had gathered for the rally, when a single gunshot rang out 20 minutes in. The crowd erupted in panic as Kirk slumped in his seat. The 31-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead 90 minutes later.
Authorities leapt into action in the immediate aftermath of the killing, instigating a concentrated search for the culprit that involved the FBI.
The FBI yesterday released new footage of an individual jumping down from a rooftop and fleeing the scene, while a rifle and ammunition were found in nearby woodland.
President Donald Trump this morning made an appearance on Fox News, where he announced that a suspect had been taken into custody.
That suspect has now officially been named as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old living in Utah. Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich revealed that sources told her the suspect was “walked in” near St. George, Utah, after 11 p.m. Thursday.
During his appearance on Fox News, Trump implied that the suspect’s father may have played a role in turning him in.
“I’d rather not say right now, they’re going to announce it today sometime later, but somebody close to him turned him in … somebody who was very close to him said, ‘That’s him,’ and essentially, went to the father and went to a U.S. marshal … and the father convinced the son, this is it,” Trump said.
Trump also expressed his wish that the shooter be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Utah is one of the US states that still has the death penalty.
“I hope he’s going to be found guilty and I hope he gets the death penalty. What he did — Charlie Kirk was the finest person and he didn’t deserve this,” Trump said.
