The US authorities on Friday nabbed Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, said President Donald Trump, who noted that the 22-year-old was caught with assistance from his father.
Robin, a Utah resident, had fled after killing 31-year-old Kirk on Wednesday, but the US officials found the 'high-powered' bolt-action rifle used by him on Thursday. On Friday, they said the Robinson's bullet casings had inscriptions such as 'Hey fascists', 'Bella ciao' and "If you read this, you are gay LMAO."
"Investigators discovered a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a dark-coloured towel... The rifle had a scope mounted on top of it. Inscriptions on a fired casing read 'Notices bulges OWO, What's this?'" said Utah Governor Spencer Cox at a press conference. "Inscriptions on three unfired casings read ‘Hey, fascist, exclamation point, catch, exclamation point. Up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol and three down arrow symbols."
"A second unfired casing read 'Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao ciao'. A third unfired casing read 'If you read this, you are gay LMAO'," he added.
FBI releases mugshots of Robinson
On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also released the mugshots of Robinson.
Kirk's killing at Utah University
Kirk, a supporter of Trump, was speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point at Utah Valley University when he was shot by Robinson. In a video which has now gone viral on social media, a gunshot could be heard, following which chaos erupted at Utah Valley University. In the video, blood could be seen gushing from the left side of Kirk's neck. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead by the doctors hours later.
Notably, Kirk, a conservative provocateur, was taking questions on gun violence when the incident took place.
His killing was condemned by both Democrats and Republicans, with ex-President Joe Biden saying "there is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now." Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance said: "So much of the success we've had in this administration traces directly to Charlie's ability to organize and convene. He didn't just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government."
