Charlie Kirk's Suspected Shooter In Custody, Says Trump With 'High Degree Of Certainty'
Trump stated authorities have a "high degree of certainty" about the suspect's identity, who was turned in by a minister.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the suspect in the Charlie Kirk killing has been captured.
“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump said during a live interview on Fox News Channel on Friday morning.
He further said that a minister who is involved with law enforcement turned in the suspect to the authorities.
“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” Trump said.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on Wednesday in what police said was a targeted attack during an event at Utah Valley University, a public school south of Salt Lake City.
The event was hosted by the school's chapter of Turning Point USA, a group co-founded by Kirk that organises and mobilises young conservatives.
He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
According to law enforcement, the shot was believed to have been fired by a person on the roof of a building.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said the single shot fired at Kirk travelled a distance of roughly 175 yards.
The video of the incident where Kirk was shot and bled profusely was widely shared on social media platforms. On Thursday, the authorities released a video capturing the person they described as the shooter running across a building's roof and descending onto a grassy area below.
Trump has announced to posthumously confer the highest civilian award to Kirk on a later date. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that no one "understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie."
“He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” he added.
Vice President JD Vance also said that he "believed the shooter is in custody" and thanked the law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its chief, Kash Patel.
"This is a big breakthrough, and everyone who helped--from the law enforcement professionals to the people giving tips--deserves our credit and gratitude. In some ways, the investigation is still in the early days. But I do believe we have the shooter in custody," Vance said in a post on X.
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