Topics: US News, Politics, Celebrity, Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, News
The identity of the person accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk has now been revealed, according to five law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.
The 31-year-old right-wing activist was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday (10 September).
The incident happened with over 3,000 people in attendance. Kirk was seated under a white gazebo and was answering a question when a single shot struck him in the neck.
After being shot, Kirk dropped his microphone; his security team intervened, and he was rushed to hospital. Later, US President Donald Trump confirmed Kirk had died.
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He wrote on Truth Social at the time: "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a college-age appearance, fired one shot from the rooftop, according to authorities.
The suspect in custody in connection with Kirk’s killing has now been revealed as a 22-year-old from Utah, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, said the official, who was not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The latest update comes shortly after the US president confirmed today (12 September) that there had been a big update on the case.
When asked about any developments on the suspect, the 79-year-old Republican leader said: "I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody."
As reported by BBC News, Trump added that he found out the suspect was allegedly in custody 'five minutes before' he walked in to do the interview.
Elaborating, the President said that 'someone very close,' to the suspect turned him in, later alleging that his own father helped.
"They drove into the police headquarters, and he's there now," Trump told viewers. He also said on the programme that the suspect is '28 or 29,' despite the FBI previously saying he was 'of college age'.
FBI and local officials are set to start a press conference in Utah shortly, where Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, will release the latest updates on the case.
Trump has previously urged for a speedy trial and expressed hopes that the suspect will get the death penalty.
