There is “a high degree of certainty” the person is the shooter, the US president has said
The suspected assassin of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now in custody, President Donald Trump has claimed.
“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” he told Fox News on Friday.
Trump said he had been informed of the suspect’s arrest just minutes before going on air. “Essentially, somebody that was very close to him turned him in,” the president said, without revealing any further details.
NBC News has also reported that a suspect in the high-profile murder case has been taken into custody, citing senior law enforcement officials. The person was reportedly turned in to the police by a family member, who saw his photos released by the authorities.
US law enforcement has not officially confirmed the arrest or revealed the suspect’s identity. The FBI released images of the alleged suspect on Thursday: A man wearing sunglasses, a black hat, and a long-sleeve black shirt featuring an American flag. The agency also offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the assassin.
The authorities received over 7,000 tips and leads and held some 200 interviews linked to the case, according to Utah Governor Spencer Cox. Investigators also recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle” along the route allegedly used by the suspect to escape the crime scene, according to Robert Bohls, special agent in charge at the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office.
The New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources, that the suspect is a Utah resident named Tyler Robinson, 22.
Kirk, 31, was struck by a single rifle round as he was addressing thousands of students during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. He was rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital but later died. Officials described the killing as a targeted political assassination.
Trump has vowed to pursue not only Kirk’s killer but also what he called the “radical left” networks that fuel political violence. Speaking to Fox News on Friday, the president said he hopes Kirk’s murderer would be subject to capital punishment. Cox announced on Thursday that Utah would seek the death penalty for the conservative activist’s assassin.
You can share this story on social media:
Read the full article here