Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and a strong Trump ally, was shot dead on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.
US President Donald Trump on Friday said the suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been taken into custody. "I can say with a very high degree of certainty that we have him. Somebody very close to him turned him in," Trump told Fox News during a live interview.
He added that a minister connected to law enforcement helped turn the suspect over to authorities.
Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and a strong Trump ally, was shot dead on Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University. Police described the attack as targeted. Utah’s governor called it a “political assassination.”
Kirk was addressing a crowd in a campus courtyard when gunfire erupted. He was struck in the neck and later died in the hospital.
Investigators recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle near the site of the attack. Authorities said the gunman fled dramatically by leaping from a roof before vanishing into nearby woods.
On Thursday, the FBI and Utah’s Department of Public Safety released photos and video of the suspect. The footage showed a man believed to be of college age. He wore a black long-sleeve T-shirt with the American flag on it, dark sunglasses, Converse sneakers, and a baseball cap.
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The suspect was seen running away from the scene shortly after the shots were fired.
Charlie Kirk was one of the most influential voices in conservative politics. He co-founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit known for mobilizing young voters in support of right-wing policies.
Kirk was also a close ally of Trump, who announced earlier this week that he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
While Trump’s statement suggests the manhunt has ended, officials have not yet released the identity of the suspect. Federal investigators are expected to provide an update soon.
The killing has shaken campuses across the United States, with officials calling for tighter security at public events.
