WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Bernama-Anadolu) — United States’ (US) Utah Governor Spencer Cox identified Friday the suspect believed to have carried out the fatal shooting of American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk as Utah native Tyler Robinson, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
“We got him. On the evening of Sept 11, 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,” Cox told reporters at a press conference following an over-24-hour manhunt.
Cox said authorities currently believe that Robinson acted alone. He said a family member, whom he did not identify, told investigators that Robinson had become “more political in recent years.”
“The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner before Sept 10, and in the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU (Utah Valley University).
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had. The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate,” he said.
US President Donald Trump earlier said that it was the suspect’s father who played a pivotal role in Robinson’s arrest.
Robinson was taken into custody at 10 pm local time (0400GMT), FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Cox said investigators combed through security camera footage from UVU, where the shooting took place on Wednesday, and found footage that appears to show Robinson arriving on campus earlier in the morning.
The footage depicted Robinson in a maroon t-shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat, and light-colored shoes.
The clothing matched the outfit worn by Robinson when he was detained in the early morning hours on Friday.
— BERNAMA-ANADOLU