Donald Trump confirms capture of Kirk murder suspect
Saturday, 13 September 2025 | Associated Press
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 announced in a live interview on Fox News Channel on Friday morning.Trump said a minister who is also involved with law enforcement turned in the suspect to authorities. “Somebody that was very close to him said, Hmm, that’s him,’” Trump said. Kirk was killed by a single shot Wednesday in what police said was a targeted attack and Utah’s governor called a political assassination.
Kirk co-founded the nonprofit political organisation Turning Point USA and was a close ally of Trump. Authorities recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle near the scene and had said the shooter jumped off a roof and vanished into the woods after the shooting. Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point at Utah Valley University at the time of the shooting. He was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead hours later. Federal investigators and State officials on Thursday had released photos and a video of the person they believe is responsible.
Kirk was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem. More than 7,000 leads and tips had poured in, officials said. Authorities have yet to publicly name the suspect or cite a motive in the killing, the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States. The attack, carried out in broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media. The videos show Kirk, who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out.
Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away. The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a college-age appearance, fired one shot from the rooftop, according to authorities. Video released Thursday showed the person then walking through the grass and across the street before disappearing. “I can tell you this was a targeted event,” said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City. Trump, who was joined by Democrats in condemning the violence, said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
(Source: Associated Press & The Pioneer)