Live updates: Charlie Kirk murder suspect in custody, Trump says

President Donald Trump announced that the shooting suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death is in custody.

Here are the latest updates for Friday, Sept. 12, 2025:

A news conference scheduled with the latest on Charlie Kirk 

9 a.m. ET: State and federal officials in Utah are planning to hold a news conference on the investigation.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls are expected to attend.

Trump says Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody

8:15 a.m. ET: Trump confirmed the news during a Friday morning interview with FOX & Friends.

“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody, right in custody. Everyone did a great job,” Trump said. 

RELATED: Charlie Kirk shooting: Video shared by investigators shows alleged gunman fleeing scene

“I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in. As I’m walking in, they said, ‘Looking real good.’ They have the person that they wanted.”

Sources told FOX News Friday that the suspected shooter was taken into custody in Southern Utah. 

Federal investigators and state officials on Thursday had 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.

More than 7,000 leads and tips had poured in, officials said. Authorities have yet to publicly name the suspect or cite a motive in the killing, the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.

Video shows alleged gunman fleeing the scene

Dig deeper:

Law enforcement showed new video during a news conference on Thursday evening showing the alleged gunman fleeing from the scene after Kirk was shot. 

In the video, a person wearing dark clothing is seen running across a rooftop and then climbing down the side. He is then seen running away from the scene. 

Who was Charlie Kirk?

The backstory:

Kirk was the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA. Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government.

RELATED: Who is Charlie Kirk? Political activist killed at Utah Valley University, Trump confirms

Kirk appeared alongside Trump on stage at political events, and was also a frequent commentator on Fox News, CNBC, and FOX Business News. He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention. 

Kirk played a major role in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He was credited with turning out the younger vote for Trump. 

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