Trump says suspect in Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting taken into custody

Kirk, a strong supporter of Trump, was shot dead while he was taking questions, ironically, on gun violence during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday

US President Donald Trump on Friday said that a suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has been taken into custody.

 

"I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody," Trump told Fox & Friends. He added that a person "that was very close" to the suspect had turned him in.

 

“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him.’ Essentially went to the father. Went to a U.S. marshal, who is fantastic by the way. And the person was involved in law enforcement, but was a person of faith, a minister. And brought him to a U.S. marshal who is fantastic. And the father convinced the son. ‘This is it,’” Trump said on the Fox & Friends interview.  Accoridng to the Associated Press, the suspect, identified as as Tyler Robinson (22), is from Utah. 

 

The US President also added that he hoped the shooter would face capital punishment. "“He’s going to be found guilty, I would imagine,” he said. “And I hope he gets the death penalty.”

 

Kirk, an ardent backer of Trump, was shot dead while he was taking questions, ironically, on gun violence during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (local time). He was reportedly responding to a question — “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the past decade?” — when a single shot struck his neck. Kirk had just raised the issue of transgender shooters. 

 

On Thursday, investigating agencies said ammunition in the shooter's recovered gun had engravings of transgender and anti-fascist aka Antifa ideology, the Wall Street Journal reported. The FBI had also circulated images of a "person of interest" wearing a black top, black sunglasses and a dark baseball cap.

 

Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said that the alleged shooter appeared to be of college age and "blended in well" on the campus, according to Reuters.

 

Since his death, Kirk’s views on gun violence have resurfaced. After the 2023 Nashville Covenant School shooting, he argued that some hun deaths are inevitable outcome of protecting Constitutional rights, and called for stronger families and armed school guards.

 

A prominent conservative voice, Kirk had over 14 million followers and a monthly social media reach of 150 million, promoting his “freedom-oriented” ideology across US campuses.

 

Shortly after his death, Trump also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Kirk saying that he was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions of people.

 

"I have no doubt that Charlie's voice, the courage that he put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on," Trump said.