Trump says Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody Today World News

A suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university has been taken into custody, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (September 12, 2025), ending an intense manhunt that followed what Mr. Trump described as a “heinous assassination.”

Kirk’s killer has eluded police and federal agents for more than 24 hours after Wednesday’s shooting, in which a sniper fired a single gunshot that killed Kirk during an appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem.

“I think we have him,” Mr. Trump told Fox News in an interview, adding that a person who knows the suspect had turned him in.

Also Read | Death of Charlie Kirk lays bare deep U.S. political divisions 

Previously, U.S. investigators said they had found the bolt-action rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk and released images of a person of interest.

The FBI had circulated grainy images apparently taken from security cameras showing a “person of interest” wearing a black top, black sunglasses and a dark baseball cap. The long-sleeved top appears to have been emblazoned with an image of a bald eagle flying across a U.S. flag.

Kirk, an author, podcast host and close ally of Mr. Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters.

FBI and state officials said the killer arrived on the campus a few minutes before the start of the event, a debate led by Kirk titled “Prove Me Wrong” in front of 3,000 people at Utah Valley, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Salt Lake City.

Security-camera videos showed a person going up stairwells to gain access to a roof before firing at Kirk, the officials said at a press briefing. Kirk, a staunch defender of gun rights, was answering an audience question about mass shootings when the bullet struck his neck. Audience members fled in panic.

The shooter jumped off the roof and fled into an adjoining neighborhood, said Robert Bohls, an FBI special agent in charge.

Investigators found a “high-powered, bolt-action” rifle in a nearby wooded area, and were examining that along with palm prints and footprints for clues.