A suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has been taken into custody, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, ending an intense manhunt that followed what Trump described as a “heinous assassination.”
Kirk’s killer evaded police and federal agents for more than 24 hours after Wednesday’s shooting, where a sniper fired a single gunshot that killed Kirk during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem.
“I think we have him,” Trump told Fox News in an interview, adding that a person who knows the suspect had turned him in.
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Previously, US investigators said they had found the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk and released images of a person of interest.
The FBI had circulated grainy images apparently taken from security cameras showing a “person of interest” wearing a black top, black sunglasses, and a dark baseball cap. The long-sleeved top appears to have been emblazoned with an image of a bald eagle flying across a US flag.
Kirk, an author, podcast host, and close ally of Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters.
