REPORT: Charlie Kirk shooting suspect identified as 22-year-old Utah man
Police sources reveal family member turned him in after seeing FBI images of gunman
The suspect who allegedly shot and killed Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and an iconic conservative voice in America, has been identified, according to a network report.
The suspect was identified as Tyler Robinson, of Utah.
President Donald Trump early Friday confirmed that the suspect wanted for the assassination had been captured.
“I hope he’s going to be found guilty, I would imagine, and I hope he gets the death penalty,” the president said.
He explained the suspect was turned in by people close to him.
“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” he said during an interview on Fox & Friends.
“We have the person that we think is the person we’re looking for, but they drove into police headquarters and he’s there,” Trump said, explaining other details would be released in due course.
Authorities had released surveillance video of the suspected shooter, in addition to images showing the suspect walking to and from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot and killed during a free speech event Wednesday.
“One of Robinson’s family members turned him in to police after seeing the images, according to two senior law enforcement officials,” the report said. “It appears that Robinson’s last voter registration date was on July 13, 2021, and his political party is none declared based on public records.”
Online commenters quickly jumped on speculation that the suspect had been “radicalized” while attending college classes.
According to a report at the Daily Mail, Trump had indicated the suspect’s father “told him it was time to turn themselves in.”
Details from the FBI or the Utah Department of Public Safety were pending release.
Utah officials have confirmed the state still uses the death penalty.
Videos released earlier had shown shooter running across the roof of the Lossee Center at Utah Valley University and jumping to the ground, before fleeing the scene. The Daily Mail noted officials confirmed the shooting left behind a palm print and a shoe print from a pair of Converse sneakers.
The weapon allegedly used in the assassination was found earlier by authorities in a wooded area near the campus.
