Trump Praises Arrest in Charlie Kirk Shooting Case

OREM, Utah — Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced the arrest of a 22-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Friday press conference, saying “we got him.”

The suspect was identified as Tyler Robinson and was taken into custody at 10 p.m. Thursday in St. George, Utah, about 280 miles south of Orem, after a family member contacted authorities.

President Trump praised local and state authorities for their work tracking down the suspect. After Kirk was killed Wednesday after being struck in the neck with one single shot, officials shared video Thursday of a man on the rooftop of a Utah Valley University building.

“Everybody did a great job, you know,” the President said. “You start off with absolutely nothing, and we started off with a cliff that made him look like an ant, that was almost useless. We just saw there was somebody up there. And so much work has been done over the last two and a half days.”

Trump said he hoped the suspect would be found guilty and get the death penalty.
“Charlie Kirk, he was the finest person,” Trump said. “He didn’t deserve this.”
News that the suspect had been captured came the morning after Beau Mason, the head of Utah’s Department Public Safety, said in a TV interview Thursday night on that authorities “have no idea” who the shooter is or if he is still in Utah.

“We’re exploring leads for individuals out of state and individuals that live close by,” Mason said on MSNBC. We literally have persons of interest, tips coming in on the tip line that are spanning far, far and wide.”

On Thursday night, authorities pleaded for the public’s help in identifying the gunman and released new video of a suspect in dark clothing lying face-down on the corner of a roof at Utah Valley University. He then ran across the roof and jumped off of it, using his hands to lower himself over the edge.

News that the suspect had been captured came the morning after Beau Mason, the head of Utah’s Department Public Safety, said in a TV interview Thursday night on that authorities “have no idea” who the shooter is or if he is still in Utah.

Mason said Thursday that investigators were chasing several leads after the suspect left palm impressions and smudges on the roof that they hoped would allow them to collect DNA. He also left a shoe imprint officials believe is from a Converse tennis shoe.
Law enforcement also circulated photos of the suspect — who wore blue jeans, a baseball cap, gray Converse shoes and a long-sleeved black T-shirt that appeared to show an American flag and an eagle. Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward.

With pressure building on authorities, the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, took the unusual step Thursday of flying to Utah. But he did not speak at the news conference. More than 7,000 tips have been submitted to the FBI, according to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

The suspected murder weapon, a high-powered bolt-action rifle, was recovered in a wooded area near a parking lot, said Robert Bohls, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City office. Mason said the suspect was seen running to that area after getting down from the roof.

At Friday’s press conference, Cox said that ammunition recovered with the rifle was engraved with such messages as “Hey Fascist! Catch!,” “Bella Ciao,” and “If you read this, you are gay.”

Kirk was a fervant conservative and enormously influential figure in American politics, with a combined 25.6 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. A provocative figure, Kirk was known for challenging left-wing orthodoxies on college campuses and clung strongly to his Christian faith, arguing that there should be no division between church and state in America.