President Trump revealed on Fox & Friends Friday morning that the assassin of Charlie Kirk is now in custody—and that it was “someone very close” to him who ultimately turned him in.
“With a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” he said. “Everyone did a great job. We worked with the local police, the governor. Everybody did a great job.”
“Essentially, somebody who was very close to him turned him in," Trump added. "And that happens when you have some of those good shots. Somebody is going to say—whether it's a parent or whatever, I'd rather not say."
Trump also hinted that the father was involved in law enforcement.
A source told the Associated Press that the suspect is a 22-year-old Utah resident identified as Tyler Robinson. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing restrictions on discussing an active investigation.
Utah authorities held a late-night press conference Thursday on the hunt for Charlie Kirk’s assassin, during which they released new surveillance footage and enhanced images of the suspect fleeing the rooftop sniper’s nest.
Related: ‘We Have Him’: Trump Says Suspect in Charlie Kirk Assassination ‘In Custody’
Surveillance footage showed Robinson wearing a t-shirt, backpack, Converse shoes, and a hat marked with a triangle logo. Officials also confirmed they had recovered the murder weapon and tracked the suspect’s movements after the shooting. Governor Spencer Cox stressed the importance of public cooperation, saying law enforcement “cannot do our job without the public’s help.”
Sources told CNN that Robinson admitted the murder to his father. According to the Daily Mail, the father serves in the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. The suspect’s father quickly alerted authorities and made sure his son was secured until police arrived.
The New York Times reported that the suspect was taken into custody around 11pm local time in southern Utah on Thursday night. The alleged shooter lived in a $600,000 six-bedroom home in Washington, Utah - around 260 miles south of where the carnage unfolded in Orem.
Little is known of Robinson at this time, and officials have not yet released a motive to the shooting.
Authorities said at a press conference on Thursday night that Robinson will face the death penalty if convicted of the assassination.
Investigators previously revealed that ammunition found in a weapon discovered near to the scene had been engraved with transgender and antifascist ideology.
Robinson's arrest comes after a manhunt for the suspect stretched to over a day and a half, with officials previously offering a reward of $100,000 for information leading to his capture.
Surveillance footage had been released showing a figure on top of a roof leaping from a building and sprinting into a nearby neighborhood after Kirk was shot from around 200 yards away.
President Trump didn’t mince words as to what he hopes happens to the killer.
“Well, I hope he’s going to be found guilty—I would imagine—and I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump declared. "What he did—Charlie Kirk was the finest person, and he didn’t deserve this.”
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