US president Donald Trump has told Fox & Friends that Tyler Robinson, the individual suspected of shooting right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk, is in custody, in advance of an FBI news conference confirming the news.
The suspect was subsequently named as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. Two sources told CBS that Robinson resides in Southern Utah and apparently confessed to his father.
The 79-year-old president said during a Friday (12 September) broadcast of Fox & Friends that there was a “high degree of certainty” that the suspected shooter had been detained following a days-long manhunt.
“Essentially, somebody that was very close to him turned him in,” Trump claimed during the broadcast. “It’s interesting, we had very good pictures, but not great, not perfect.”
During an FBI news conference held at 3pm UK time, Utah governor Spencer Cox confirmed: “We got him.”
He says a relative of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend, who then contacted a sheriff.
Cox went on to say that a member of the suspect’s family told investigators that Tyler Robinson had become “more political” in recent years.
Cox explained that the family member recalled a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner before 10 September and mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to Utah Valley University, and talked about why he “didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had”, adding that “Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
The Utah governor thanked the family members of the suspect, saying they “did the right thing” by bringing him to law enforcement.
Messages etched on bullets
The governor also addressed rumours that the bullets used in the killing had “anti-fascist ideology” written on them. He explained that investigators previously found a bolt action rifle wrapped in a dark towel.
He confirmed that there were inscriptions on bullet casings, including one which read: “Notices, bulges”. There were also inscriptions on three unfired casings.
Cox said that some of the inscriptions included: “Hey fascist! Catch!”, “o bella ciao, bella ciao” (an Italian anti-fascist protest song) and “if you read this you are gay lmao.”
31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot dead while giving a talk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday (10 September).
Just seconds before Kirk was fatally shot in the neck, the conservative activist had promoted a conspiracy theory that transgender people were responsible for the majority of mass shootings in the US, which is untrue.
NBC News confirmed police had taken into custody a man whom they believe is responsible for Kirk’s death.
Photos and a video were previously shared online by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who urged the public to help identify the person “in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.”
Utah Department of Safety commissioner, Beau Mason, told reporters on Thursday they had “good footage” of the suspect, who they described as “college-aged” and “blended in well with the institution.”
Who is Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson?
BBC Verify have been looking into the details that have been released so far.
BBC Verify found a Facebook profile believed to belong to his mother, which suggests the family come from Cedar City in Utah, about three hours drive from where the shooting took place.
Her account includes photos of trips they made – some of which appear to have included visits to gun ranges.
Other posts on her profile reveal that Tyler Robinson attended Pineview Middle School.
An incredibly influential right-wing pundit, Kirk was well-known for his open-air debates where he often shared anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theories.
In 2016, Turning Point USA, which Kirk operated, created a “Professor Watchlist” website which lists academic staff, journalists, and activists whom it claims “discriminate against conservative students” and promote “anti-American values.”
Subjects of the list have recalled facing multiple threats of physical and sexual violence from TPUSA supporters, including users sharing pictures of their homes.
The right-wing organisation also infamously transported its supporters to the insurrection at the US Capitol building, during which at least five people died, in more than 80 buses.
Trump said during the Fox & Friends broadcast that he hopes the suspect gets the death penalty, adding that he was “the finest person and he didn’t deserve this.”
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