Watch the moment Utah Governor Spencer Cox opens his press conference by telling reporters “we got him” in reference to Charlie Kirk’s assassin.

The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, had confessed to a family friend, or "implied that he had committed the murder" to that friend, and that person in turn had contacted the Washington County sheriff's office on Thursday.

A family member interviewed by investigators said Robinson had become more political recently and spoke in a disparaging manner about Mr Kirk, Mr Cox told reporters.

Mr Kirk's killer had eluded police and federal agents for about 33 hours after Wednesday's shooting, in which a sniper fired a single gunshot that killed Mr Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, during an appearance at Utah Valley University.