A suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has been taken into custody, ending an intense manhunt that followed what US president Donald Trump described as a “heinous assassination”.
The suspect was named as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man from Utah.
“We got him,” Utah governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference detailing the arrest.
Mr Kirk’s killer had eluded police and federal agents for more than 24 hours after Wednesday’s shooting, in which a sniper fired a single gunshot that killed the right-wing commentator during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem.
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“Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident,” Mr Cox said. This information was relayed to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and scene investigators at Utah Valley University, he added.
Mr Cox added that investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson’s who said that he had become “more political in recent years”.
“The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to September 10th,” Mr Cox said. “In the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU…the family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
The spent bullet casing found at the scene was etched with the message “notices bulge oWo what’s this?”, an apparent reference to a niche online in-joke from roleplaying communities.
Mr Cox said another bullet found near the scene of the killing had been marked with the message “hey, fascist - catch”.
Other unfired bullet casings read “oh bella ciao”, a reference to the Italian antifascist anthem, and a third one read: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO”.
Robinson was arrested near Zion National Park – which is hundreds of miles away from the Utah Valley University campus - according to reports.
Mr Cox added that the rifle found was determined to be a Mauser model 9836 caliber, a type of bolt-action firearm, that had a scope mounted on top of it.
Earlier, Mr Trump told Fox News in an interview that “we have him”, adding that a person who knows the suspect had turned him in. He said there was a “high degree of certainty” that the gunman was in custody.
Mr Trump said that a “minister who was involved with law enforcement” allegedly recognised the shooter. Then the shooter’s father convinced his child to go to the police.
“They have somebody that they think did it,” Mr Trump added. Utah law enforcement sources confirmed to the Reuters news agency that a suspect is in their custody.
He went on to say: “I hope he gets the death penalty.”
The president, when asked about how we “fix the country” or “come back together” after Mr Kirk’s shooting, says that he “couldn’t care less”, describing left-wing “radicals” as “vicious and horrible”.
Previously, US investigators said they had found the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used to kill Mr 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.
Mr Kirk, an author, podcast host and close ally of Mr Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters.
FBI and state officials said the killer arrived on the campus a few minutes before the start of the event, a debate led by Mr Kirk titled “Prove Me Wrong” in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley, about 65 kilometres south of Salt Lake City.
Security-camera videos showed a person going up stairwells to gain access to a roof before firing at Mr Kirk, the officials said at a press briefing. Mr Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck. Audience members fled in panic.
The gunman jumped off the roof and fled into an adjoining neighborhood, said Robert Bohls, an FBI special agent in charge.
Investigators found a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle in a nearby wooded area, and were examining that along with palm prints and footprints for clues.
On Thursday, with classes cancelled, the roof of the building on the otherwise deserted campus and the nearby woods were strung with yellow tape as investigators scoured them for evidence.
The shooter appeared to be of college age and “blended in well” on the campus, Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said at the briefing.
Mr Kirk - the co-founder and president of the conservative student group Turning Point USA - appeared at Utah Valley on Wednesday as part of a planned 15-event “American Comeback Tour” of US college campuses. His killing stirred outrage and denunciations of political violence from Democrats, Republicans and foreign governments.
[ Who was Charlie Kirk, the right-wing provocateur shot in Utah?Opens in new window ]
Mr Trump said he would award Mr Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
Mr Kirk, who was married and the father of two young children, was celebrated by Republicans as a charismatic advocate for right-wing policies on race, gender, immigration, religion and gun regulation.
He frequently engaged with his critics from the far left to the far right, often inviting members of his audiences to debate him live. –Reuters/agencies
