WASHINGTON, Sept 13: Police in Utah have arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson over the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed while speaking at a university event earlier this week, the BBC reported.
The BBC stated the arrest came after a tense 33-hour manhunt that ended only when Robinson’s father persuaded him to turn himself in. The BBC noted that US President Donald Trump was the first to announce the arrest and publicly demanded the death penalty for the suspect.
Investigators told the BBC that Robinson confessed to his father, saying he would rather die than be caught. His father then called a family friend who is a youth pastor and a court security officer. Together they managed to calm Robinson down before alerting US Marshals, who detained him around 22:00 on Thursday.
The BBC quoted Utah Governor Spencer Cox saying surveillance footage showed Robinson arriving at Utah Valley University four hours before the shooting and wearing clothing that matched images from the crime scene.
Investigators had interviewed relatives who said Robinson had become increasingly political and had spoken about Kirk with hostility in the days before the attack.
The BBC reported the killing a shocking moment that highlights how deep political divisions have become in the US, describing scenes of chaos as students fled the auditorium when shots were fired.