US president says suspect was turned in by someone ‘close to him’ and that he hopes he gets ‘the death penalty’.
Published On 12 Sep 2025
United States President Donald Trump has said that “with a high degree of certainty” the gunman in the killing of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk[1] has been caught. The shooting was an act of violence that has reverberated across the US and underscored deep and toxic political divisions.
Several US media, including the Associated Press and the New York Post, reported that the suspect is a 22-year-old man from Utah. Investigators were due to hold a briefing later on Friday to provide details on the case.
Trump said that a minister, who is also linked to law enforcement, turned in the suspect to authorities. “Somebody that was very close to him,” Trump said.
Trump told Fox & Friends that he hoped the suspect got “the death penalty”.
Trump also said he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral.
The FBI and state officials on Thursday released photos and a video of the person they believe is responsible. Kirk was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The president said he was informed of the suspect’s arrest “five minutes before I walked in” the studio, praising local authorities for their coordination. “They did a great job, everybody worked together. It all worked out,” he said.
Trump paid tribute to Kirk, calling him “the finest person” who was “like a son” to him. He said Kirk was “a brilliant guy” who helped him win the election with TikTok and energised young voters. “I’ve never seen young people go to one person like they did to Charlie,” Trump added.
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Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from the US White House, said the details Trump offered about the suspected gunman are “a little unclear”, but that it appears “the individual’s father recognised him from the video and images released from the police on Thursday, and subsequently approached a pastor who is close to law enforcement.”
“In turn, they all went to the police station to turn this individual in and he’s now in custody,” said Halkett.
The assassination offers the latest example of how ordinary security measures can be defeated in an era of escalating political violence, when anyone associated with the political process is a potential target.
Trump said political events must continue despite safety concerns. “You have to go forward,” he said when asked about appearances getting cancelled after Kirk’s death.
The suspect is in the custody of Utah state authorities, according to a source familiar with the case who requested anonymity, Reuters reported.
Earlier the FBI circulated grainy security images showing a man in a black long-sleeved shirt, dark sunglasses and a baseball cap. The shirt appeared to feature a bald eagle flying across a US flag. Other footage showed the shooter running across a roof before lowering himself to the ground.
“Somebody this close recognises even a little tilt of the head, which nobody else would do,” Trump said on Fox.
Trump suggested the suspect’s father had driven him to a police station and handed him over to authorities.
Kirk, a conservative commentator and close ally of Trump, was credited with boosting Republican support among younger voters. He was killed moments before leading a debate titled “Prove Me Wrong” at Utah Valley University, about 65km (40 miles) south of Salt Lake City.
References
- ^ Charlie Kirk (www.aljazeera.com)