Today's Edition
Orem (AFP)
The widow of prominent activist Charlie Kirk pledged on Friday to carry on her husband's work, after US authorities announced his alleged assassin had finally been captured.
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 on 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.
Suspect in #CharlieKirk killing caught, widow #ErikaKirk vows to carry on fight
— Aletihad English (@AletihadEn) September 13, 2025
"We got him," #Utah Governor Spencer Cox told a press conference on Friday, identifying the suspect as #TylerRobinson
Read more: https://t.co/vpWs3KUoEK #AletihadNewsCenter #USA #Trump pic.twitter.com/WLTtcfWtbk
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 movement my husband built will not die. It won't. I refuse to let that happen," she said.
Kirk's murder has consumed America for 48 hours, capturing almost all cable news coverage, while Trump has ordered flags to fly at half-mast.
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.
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 10:00 pm Thursday.
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.
