Authorities identified Tyler Robinson as Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin after a multi-day manhunt.
Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) said the suspect was arrested Thursday evening after a person close to Robinson turned him in to authorities.
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Authorities announced the development at a Friday press conference, two days after Kirk was killed. Two suspects had previously been arrested and then released after interrogation.
Kirk, the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Authorities said Robinson sniped Kirk from a position on top of the Sorensen Student Center, several hundred feet away from him, and then made a hasty retreat into a nearby neighborhood.
On Thursday, police recovered the murder weapon: a high-powered, bolt-action rifle. The weapon was left in a wooded area, which has since been swept and secured. Authorities had another breakthrough the same day when they obtained photo and video footage of the alleged shooter, releasing it to the public for help in the case.
President Donald Trump broke the news of the shooter’s arrest in an appearance on Fox News on Friday morning.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody. Everyone did a great job,” Trump said.
SUSPECT IN CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION IS IN CUSTODY: TRUMP
The FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety co-led the manhunt, “in unison with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and the local police departments,” according to a statement from the Utah DPS.
The assassination is one of the most high-profile political killings in modern American history. The shooting and subsequent fallout drew international attention and condemnations from leaders around the world. It also drew condemnation from nearly all Democratic and Republican lawmakers, though a few Democrats focused on openly bashing Kirk or Trump’s rhetoric in the aftermath.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.