Investigators had appeared to be making slow progress in the hunt for whoever gunned down Donald Trump’s close ally, until they released security camera images of a young man.
“We got him,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox told a press conference early Friday, identifying the suspect as Tyler Robinson, 22, who had reportedly been confronted by his father over the pictures and then turned in.
The 31-year-old Kirk was hit by a single bullet while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University in the town of Orem on Wednesday.
Kirk was an electrifying presence on the US right, with a huge following that helped Trump build the youth vote in his election victory last November.
A heartbroken Erika Kirk on Friday mourned the loss of “the perfect father… the perfect husband.”
“The evil-doers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done,” she said in a live video address.
“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife; the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.
“The movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen,” she said.
BULLET MARKINGS
Speculation swirled over markings that Cox said were found on unused bullet casings in the weapon Robinson is believed to have used.
One cartridge had “Hey, fascist! Catch!” written on it, while another featured “Bella ciao,” ‒ a World War II-era Italian anti-fascist song that reports said had recently been repurposed in niche online circles.
Other cartridges were marked with symbols and wording that appeared to be from online gaming culture.
Details about Robinson began to trickle out Friday, as a picture emerged of a young man from a Republican family in a staunchly conservative town.
Photographs showed the young man ‒ who was in the third-year of an electrician apprenticeship ‒ posing with guns and dressed for Halloween in a costume in which he appears to be riding Trump’s shoulders.
BREAKTHROUGH IN MANHUNT
Authorities took 33 hours to make the arrest.
In a wooded area near the university, they quickly found the alleged murder weapon, a high-powered hunting rifle, and released photos of a young man dressed in a baseball cap and casual clothing.
However, after detaining, then releasing, two people who turned out to be unconnected to the case, the police and FBI appeared to struggle.
Late Thursday, officials in Orem released more details about the suspect’s clothing and initial movements after the shooting, pleading with the public to help identify him.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest was finally made at 10pm Thursday. Robinson was detained in Washington County, the area where he lived with family, about 250 miles (400km) southwest of Orem, and near the famed Zion National Park.
Cox credited assistance from the alleged killer’s family.
“On the evening of September 11th, a family member of Tyler 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," he said.
Robinson’s family said he "had become more political" in recent years and had discussed Kirk’s upcoming event at UVU, criticizing the conservative influencer, according to Cox.
Photos posted on social media by his mother, Amber, seem to show a close-knit family. He was the eldest of three boys. Neighbors told US media the family was Mormon.
He was registered to vote as unaffiliated to any political party.
SEEKING DEATH PENALTY
Robinson was being held on suspicion of aggravated murder, and was expected to be formally charged in the coming days.
Utah has the death penalty for such crimes ‒ a punishment Trump has said he would like to see imposed.
Kirk’s murder consumed America for 48 hours, capturing almost all cable news coverage, while Trump has ordered flags to fly at half-mast.
Kirk, whom supporters have hailed as a martyr, co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, with his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.
While he was a highly divisive figure due to his views on race, gender and gun ownership, even his many critics often praised his willingness to debate. Kirk was on a speaking tour when he went to the Utah university.
The United States has seen repeated shootings and assaults against politicians over the last decade, including two assassination attempts on Trump ‒ in addition to a long history of political violence stretching back decades.
Mass shootings by typically young, disturbed men are also common, and powerful firearms are easily available.
THE POLITICAL REACTION
Politicians on all sides quickly condemned the killing, many of them calling on Americans to heal growing divisions.
Trump’s first reaction on Wednesday was to blame “the radical left”. He toned his rhetoric down on Thursday and said that Kirk had been “an advocate of nonviolence”.
“That’s the way I’d like to see people respond,” he said.
Kirk is being treated as a national hero by the Trump administration.
Trump announced on Thursday he would posthumously decorate Kirk with America’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom.
The Republican president also told reporters that he would attend Kirk’s funeral.
Kirk’s coffin was transported to his home city of Phoenix on Vice President JD Vance’s official plane.
WORLD RECTION
World leaders warned of the harms of politically motivated violence after the murder of right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk.
"I am appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk. There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X.
"We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear -- there can be no justification for political violence," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.
"An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom. My condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the American conservative community," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X.
"Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization," wrote Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X.
"Charlie Kirk’s death is the result of the international hate campaign waged by the progressive-liberal left," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X.
"This is what led to the attacks on (Slovak Prime Minister) Robert Fico, on (Czech former premier) Andrej Babis, and now on Charlie Kirk. We must stop the hatred! We must stop the hate-mongering left!"
Kirk "was the victim of an atrocious murder in the midst of a wave of left-wing political violence across the entire region," Argentine President Javier Milei wrote on X.
"The left is always, at all times and places, a violent phenomenon full of hatred."
"In a free democracy, you combat each other with words, never with violence," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X.
"My thoughts are with his family and loved ones. I wish everyone affected by this cowardly and horrific act much strength.