US President Donald Trump has confirmed the arrest of a suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, following an intensive nationwide manhunt that mobilized hundreds of federal and state agents.
Trump, speaking during a live interview on Fox News, said the breakthrough came after “somebody very close” to the suspect decided to turn him in.
“The person was involved with law enforcement, but was also a person of faith, a minister. He brought the suspect to a US Marshal who was fantastic. They drove into police headquarters, and he’s there now,” Trump disclosed.
Although the president stopped short of providing the suspect’s identity, he stated: “We have the person that we think is the person we’re looking for.”
The development comes just days after Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on September 10 while addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The attack, carried out with what investigators later identified as a high-powered Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle, stunned the conservative movement in the United States.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a staunch ally of Trump, was struck in the neck by a single round fired from a rooftop about 200 yards away. He died at the scene.
Images and video released during the manhunt showed a man dressed in jeans, Converse sneakers, a black cap, dark sunglasses, and a long-sleeved shirt featuring an American flag design.
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Footage captured him fleeing across rooftops before disappearing into wooded areas near the university campus, where authorities later recovered the rifle wrapped in a towel.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox has vowed that the state will pursue the death penalty in the case, underscoring the gravity of the crime and the political shockwaves it has generated.
“This was not just an attack on an individual but an attack that reverberates across our democratic discourse,” he said.
Reflecting the highly political nature of the killing, Kirk’s coffin was transported to his hometown of Phoenix on Vice President JD Vance’s official plane, Air Force 2. Vance, a close ally of Trump, was seen with his hands on the casket as it was carried from the aircraft.
The tragedy has left a deep impact on Kirk’s supporters, particularly young conservatives who admired his outspoken advocacy.
Students at Utah Valley University described feelings of disbelief and fear, while hundreds gathered at a vigil in Orem Park wearing red “Make America Great Again” caps and waving American flags. “It still feels insane that this happened,” said Jonathan Silva, 35. “It’s totally surreal.”
Kirk, hailed by supporters as a “martyr,” co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to amplify conservative viewpoints among young Americans.
With a commanding presence on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, he championed causes such as stricter immigration policies, Christianity in public life, and gun rights.
While grief and anger run deep among right-wing media outlets and grassroots conservatives, Trump has urged his supporters to respond peacefully as the legal process unfolds.
