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OREM, Utah (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the fishy successful the Charlie Kirk sidesplitting has been captured.
“With a precocious grade of certainty, we person him,” Trump announced successful a unrecorded interrogation connected Fox News Channel connected Friday morning.
Trump said a curate who is besides progressive with instrumentality enforcement turned successful the fishy to authorities.
“Somebody that was precise adjacent to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” Trump said.
Kirk was killed by a azygous changeable Wednesday successful what constabulary said was a targeted onslaught and Utah’s politician called a governmental assassination. Kirk co-founded the nonprofit governmental organization Turning Point USA and was a adjacent state of Trump.
Authorities recovered a high-powered, bolt-action firearm adjacent the country and had said the shooter jumped disconnected a extortion and vanished into the woods aft the shooting.
Kirk was speaking astatine a statement hosted by Turning Point astatine Utah Valley University astatine the clip of the shooting. He was taken to a section infirmary and pronounced dormant hours later.
Federal investigators and authorities officials connected Thursday had released photos and a video of the idiosyncratic they judge is responsible. Kirk was changeable arsenic helium spoke to a crowd gathered successful a courtyard astatine Utah Valley University successful Orem.
More than 7,000 leads and tips had poured in, officials said. Authorities person yet to publically sanction the fishy oregon mention a motive successful the killing, the latest enactment of governmental violence to convulse the United States.
Grisly video shared online
The attack, carried retired successful wide daylight arsenic Kirk spoke astir societal issues, was captured on grisly videos that dispersed connected societal media.
The videos amusement Kirk, who played an influential relation successful rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when abruptly a changeable rings out. Kirk reaches up with his close manus arsenic humor gushes from the near broadside of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and shriek earlier radical commencement moving away.
The shooter, who investigators judge blended into the field assemblage due to the fact that of a college-age appearance, fired 1 changeable from the rooftop, according to authorities. Video released Thursday showed the idiosyncratic past walking done the writer and crossed the thoroughfare earlier disappearing.
“I tin archer you this was a targeted event,” said Robert Bohls, the apical FBI cause successful Salt Lake City.
Trump, who was joined by Democrats successful condemning the violence, said helium would grant Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian grant successful the U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, visited with Kirk's household Thursday in Salt Lake City. Vance posted a remembrance connected X chronicling their friendship, dating backmost to archetypal messages successful 2017, done Vance’s Senate tally and the 2024 election.
“So overmuch of the occurrence we’ve had successful this medication traces straight to Charlie’s quality to signifier and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t conscionable assistance america triumph successful 2024, helium helped america unit the full government.”
Kirk’s casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, wherever his nonprofit governmental younker organization, Turning Point USA, is based. Trump told reporters helium plans to be Kirk's funeral. Details person not been announced.
Kirk was taking questions astir weapon violence
Kirk was a blimpish provocateur who became a almighty governmental unit among young Republicans and was a fixture connected assemblage campuses, wherever helium invited sometimes-vehement statement connected societal issues.
One specified provocative speech played retired instantly earlier the shooting arsenic Kirk was taking questions from an assemblage subordinate about gun violence.
The statement hosted by Turning Point astatine the Sorensen Center connected field was billed arsenic the archetypal halt connected Kirk's “American Comeback Tour.”
The lawsuit generated a polarizing field reaction. An online petition calling for assemblage administrators to barroom Kirk from appearing received astir 1,000 signatures. The assemblage issued a connection past week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to escaped speech, intelligence enquiry and constructive dialogue.”
Last week, Kirk posted connected X images of quality clips showing his sojourn was sparking controversy. He wrote, “What’s going connected successful Utah?”
Attendees barricaded themselves successful classrooms
Some attendees who bolted aft the gunshot rushed into 2 classrooms afloat of students. They utilized tables to barricade the doorway and to shield themselves successful the corners. Someone grabbed an electrical pencil sharpener and wrapped the cord tightly astir the doorway handle, past tied the sharpener to a seat leg.
On field Thursday, the canopy stamped with the slogan Kirk commonly utilized astatine his events — “PROVE ME WRONG” — stood, disheveled.
Kathleen Murphy, a longtime nonmigratory who lives adjacent the campus, said she has been staying wrong with her doorway locked.
“With the shooter not being caught yet, it was a worry,” Murphy said.
Meanwhile, the shooting continued to draw swift bipartisan condemnation as Democratic officials joined Trump and different Republican allies of Kirk successful decrying the attack, which unfolded during a spike of governmental unit that has touched a scope of ideologies and representatives of some large governmental parties.
