Charlie Kirk shooting: Suspect in custody, to be charged

In her first public statement since the death of her husband, Erika Kirk thanked first responders who tried to save Charlie Kirk after he was shot on Wednesday.

She also thanked President Trump, Vice President Vance and the team of Turning Point USA, the political organization Charlie Kirk founded.

"Mr. President, my husband loved you. And he knew that you loved him too. He did. Your friendship was amazing. You supported him so well, as did he for you," she said.

Erika Kirk emphasized her husband's belief in his Christian faith and love for his family.

She also pledged to carry on his work and called on young people to join the conservative organization he started and for a resurgence in the Christian faith. 

"The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry," she said. "The movement my husband built will not die."

Tyler R., the suspect of killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, is a 22-year-old Utah native who lived in his family's home at the time of the arrest, Utah Governor Spencer Cox told reporters.

He is suspected of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice. Formal charges are expected early next week.

According to Cox, a family member had told the authorities that R. had mentioned Kirk's visit to Utah Valley University at a recent dinner, with the conversation being about disliking the prominent activist's views.

It was during that visit that Kirk was shot.

R. does not appear to have a criminal record and does not have an affiliation with a political party, state voter records suggest.

According to the records, he was an "inactive" voter, meaning he had not cast a ballot in recent elections nor replied to a mailing from the county clerk's office.

He attended Utah State University in Logan for one semester, Reuters reports, but dropped out for unknown reasons. 

The authorities have so far not named any motive for the shooting.

Tyler R., the suspect of the shooting and killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, had become "more political in recent years" and had criticized Kirk as "full of hate," Utah Governor Spencer Cox said.

According to Cox, the bullets found at the scene had various messages on them, including "hey fascist, catch" and the name of Italian World War Two resistance song Bella ciao, popular among left-wing supporters around the world.

The authorities believe Tyler R. acted alone.

Authorities in the US confirmed the identity of the suspect in the shooting and killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk as Tyler R.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference.

According to Cox, the suspect confessed the shooting to a friend, to whom he reached out, and wrote messages about a rifle and engraving bullets on the Disord communication platform.

Authorities said the suspect's father was able to identify him from photos made public by police. According to CNN, the father informed a youth pastor, who then informed US Marshals. 

The suspect in the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk is Tyler R., a 22-year-old from Utah, sources tell The Associated Press.

The suspect's last name has been removed in accordance with Germany's privacy laws. 

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says he will attend Kirk's funeral.

"He should not be having a funeral right now," Trump told Fox News.

"He should be out there with people, which he was good at," he added.

Although investigators have not yet named a motive, Utah Governor Spencer Cox has called Kirk's killing a political assassination.

The shooting marks the latest instance of political violence in the US.

It comes after Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, was killed along with her husband in June by a gunman who authorities said had a manifesto and a list of other lawmakers and potential targets.

US President Donald Trump himself survived two assassination attempts last year. The trial of the suspect in the second attempt was due to begin on Thursday. 

Reuters news agency says it recorded more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts across the ideological spectrum since supporters of Trump attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Kirk rose to prominence as a conservative teenage activist stirring up political debate on college campuses with right-wing talking points on gun rights, abortion, immigration and religion.

Kirk's conservative youth organization Turning Point USA became a force in grassroots politics. It turned into the largest conservative youth organization in the United States.

Kirk had 5.3 million followers on his X account and over 500,000 monthly listeners to podcasts of his radio program, "The Charlie Kirk Show." He also wrote or contributed to several books, including "Time for a Turning Point" and "The College Scam."

Turning Point USA played a role in helping galvanize voters in his home state of Arizona during Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Kirk also appeared at Trump's inauguration. 

"No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by all, especially me," Trump posted shortly after Kirk's death. 

During an appearance with Trump last year in Georgia, Kirk said Democrats "stand for everything God hates." He called choosing between Trump and Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election "a spiritual battle."

"This is a Christian state. I'd like to see it stay that way," Kirk said. 

Kirk was a long-time supporter of gun rights guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution.  

"I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights," Kirk said during a Turning Point event in Salt Lake City in 2023, adding that gun deaths could be reduced but will never go away.

His event on Wednesday at Utah Valley University was the first stop on what was dubbed the "American Comeback Tour," during which he was fielding questions from the audience sitting at a table adorned with Trump campaign hats, under a banner reading "Prove Me Wrong."

The moment before Kirk was fatally wounded, he had been responding to a question about gun violence in the US. 

Kirk was married to podcaster Erika Frantzve and had two young children. 

A suspect in the shooting and killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk is now in custody of the Utah State Law Enforcement, an unnamed source told Reuters.

This comes after Donald Trump said that a suspect "with a high degree of certainty" had been caught.

Neither Trump nor the authorities exposed the suspect's identity and his motive for the shooting.

US President Donald Trump said it is not yet known whether the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk is part of a bigger network or group.

According to officials, more than 7,000 different leads were given to the authorities, with them still not making the suspect's name public or announce the motive for the killing.

"I can tell you it was a targeted event," top FBI agent in Salt Lake City Robert Bohls said.

This was the latest act of political violence to shake up the US.

US President Donald Trump said that the suspect in the shooting and killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk had been arrested following a manhunt.

"They have somebody they think did it," Trump told Fox News, adding that someone close to the suspect turned him in to police.

The US president said he hopes the suspect will get the death penalty.