Police arrested the suspected gunman who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, President Donald Trump confirmed Friday.
Trump told Fox News he learned about the arrest minutes before going on air, calling custody “highly certain.”
A source close to the suspect provided law enforcement with their location, prompting the arrest.
Video Reveals Suspect Fleeing Scene
FBI and Utah police released new footage Thursday showing the suspect fleeing Kirk’s assassination on the college campus.
Public tips “are giving us our next leads,” said Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.
The footage shows the suspect wearing sunglasses, Converse shoes, and a black long-sleeve shirt with an American flag.
The suspect ran across a roof, jumped to the ground, and crossed a busy street into a wooded area.
Authorities recovered a high-powered rifle in the woods, believed to be the weapon used in the shooting.
Officials released additional images showing the suspect wearing a backpack and descending a stairwell.
Investigation and Evidence Expand
Mason said the suspect blended easily into the campus and appeared to be of college age.
Officials collected a rifle, shoe prints, forearm and palm imprints, fingerprints, and DNA from the jump site.
Police received over 7,000 leads, the highest number since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
The FBI offered $100,000 for information leading to the identification or arrest of Kirk’s killer.
Nationwide Response and Condemnation
Utah Governor Spencer Cox pledged prosecutors would pursue the death penalty against the suspect.
Kirk died in broad daylight while answering a question on gun violence during his Utah Valley University appearance.
The shooting sparked widespread condemnation from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and renewed concern over US political violence.
Trump expressed grief, called for justice, and said the attack heightened his concern for the nation.
