United States President Donald Trump has given an update on Charlie Kirk’s killer, confirming that the suspect fingered in the murder is now in the custody of the police.
Trump, speaking with Fox News on Friday, September 12, 2025, said he has received information that the suspect involved in the killing of Kirk, a 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, has been apprehended.
Trump credited the arrest of Charlie Kirk’s killer to a collaborative effort between local police, state authorities, and federal agencies.
According to the U.S. President, the breakthrough occurred when “somebody very close to him turned him in,” involving the suspect’s father, who convinced his son to surrender and contacted a U.S. Marshal.
The suspect, described as being in his late 20s, was apprehended around 11 p.m. on September 11 in St. George, Utah – approximately 250 miles southwest of the crime scene near Zion National Park, Trump added.
“The father convinced the son,” Trump says.
Trump says he may need to be corrected, but he’s talking “based on what I’m hearing”.
Asked to clarify, Trump says the father, “namely his father”, got involved, and said, “we’ve got to go in”.
“They drove into the police headquarters, and he’s there now.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this comes after Kirk, a conservative activist was gunned down during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, in what officials described as a targeted political assassination.
The incident unfolded amid heightened tensions over political violence in the United States, following recent assassination attempts on high-profile figures.
Kirk, a staunch Trump ally and vocal advocate for conservative causes, was addressing a crowd of about 3,000 when shots rang out.
The FBI quickly released images of the person of interest in the Kirk’s shooting.
The image revealed a man in sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a black shirt emblazoned with a U.S. flag.
The FBI also announced a $100,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest of Charlie Kirk’s killer.
The FBI also revealed that the suspect arrived on campus at 11:52 local time on Wednesday. He was said reached his position by climbing the stairwells to the roof, before opening fire at around 12:20.
The FBI also said it has recovered a weapon “an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt action rifle – in a wooded area near the scene wrapped in a towel”
Meanwhile, reactions have continued to pour in over what has now been considered a political assassination.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox labeled the killing a “political assassination” and vowed to pursue the death penalty, emphasizing the state’s commitment to justice.
Cox also revealed the identity of suspect as Tyler Robinson, including evidence of anti-Charlie Kirk political rhetoric.
The governor added that Robinson had engravings on bullets that read, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” and ‘Ciao, bella!”
He said: “It is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals.
“This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been and who we could be in better times.”
Also, a U.S. representative, Nancy Mace, has announced that she will introduce a resolution to Congress to authorise Charlie Kirk to “lie in honour” in the Capitol Rotunda – a grand circular room in the US Capitol.
“He inspired millions, led countless souls to Christ, and never wavered in defense of the First Amendment. Such a legacy makes him uniquely worthy of this distinction,” the lawmaker writes on X.
To lie in state in the Rotunda means people will be able to visit Kirk’s casket to pay their respects, for a period of time determined by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the president.
