(NewsNation) — Erika Kirk has vowed to never let her husband Charlie Kirk’s legacy fade in her first public remarks since he was shot and killed.
She called for his supporters to join or start local Turning Point USA chapters, keep the campus tours and broadcasts going and to find a Bible-believing church.
“Our campus tour this fall will continue; there will be even more tours in the years to come.” Erika Kirk said. “I’ll make Turning Point USA the biggest thing this nation has ever seen.”
Charlie Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt thanks to a tip from his family and messages discovered on Discord, police say.
Robinson, 22, allegedly fired a single shot at Kirk from the roof of a building 200 yards from where he was speaking at Utah Valley University Wednesday.
He was booked into a Utah jail late Thursday night after a family member contacted a family friend, saying Robinson confessed or implied he was involved in the shooting, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said.
Police spoke with Robinson’s roommate, who showed them Discord messages from Robinson discussing the need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush and engraving bullets. The messages also mentioned a scope and the rifle being unique, according to his arrest affidavit.
President Donald Trump was the first to announce that a suspect was in custody and said someone close to the accused killer turned him in.
Follow live updates below:
Weapon found in wooded area: FBI
Officials have recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the killing of Charlie Kirk, according to FBI special agent in charge Robert Bohls.
“That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” he said.
The weapon was sent to an FBI lab to be analyzed.
Bohls also said investigators have collected “footwear impression, a palm print, and forearm imprints for analysis.”
Police have ‘good video footage’ of suspect
Authorities said they received “good video footage” of the person suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but have not yet identified them.
“We are not going to release that at this time,” said Utah Department of Public Safety Deputy Commissioner Beau Mason. “We are working through some technologies and some ways to identify this individual.”
Officials noted that the suspect appeared to be “college age” but did not give further details.
“We are confident in our abilities right now, and we would like to move forward in a manner that keeps everyone safe and then moves this process, appropriately,” Mason said.
Authorities tracking shooter’s movements
Deputy Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety Beau Mason said Thursday that authorities have been working to track the movements of the shooter since 11:52 a.m. Wednesday.
“We have tracked his movements onto the campus, through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to a shooting location,” Mason said. “After the shooting, we were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, moved off of the building, and fled off of the campus and into a neighborhood.”
Mason said investigators are combing through the neighborhood and contacting witnesses, as well as anyone with doorbell cameras, to identify leads.
‘It was all just so scary’: Witnesses describe Charlie Kirk shooting
Jackson Dean told “Morning in America” he was among the crowd at Charlie Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University.
“I just heard a big loud noise like a popper that you can find on the Fourth of July,” he said. “I looked over at Charlie, and I just saw him fall back in his chair, and everyone was just ducking and running inside.”
Chaos likely enabled Charlie Kirk gunman to escape: Ex-FBI official
Joshua Skule, a former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, said he is not surprised the suspect has eluded custody.
“The chaos that ensued, it would be easy to escape into a crowd like that. The security, while robust around Charlie, was not that of what you’d have at a political event,” Skule said.
According to Skule, the level of security often falls on the speaker.
“There are a lot of factors that go into this and not every event can have, you know 150 police officers there for a private event,” Skule said. “A lot of times that unfortunately falls to the individual speaker, which unfortunately the ugly truth of that, cost matters.”
Charlie Kirk remembered as ‘always fighting for America’
Jack Posobiec, a contributor for Turning Point USA, said that after the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, he and Charlie Kirk had discussed the likelihood of future attacks.
Posobiec described Kirk as someone who “didn’t have the word stop in his vocabulary.” He added, “Charlie was always fighting for America, and Charlie was always fighting for Christ.”
Americans pay tribute to Charlie Kirk
Across the country, Americans are mourning conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. In Arizona, residents placed flowers at Turning Point headquarters.
Vigils are also being held outside the Utah hospital where Kirk was rushed after the shooting, as well as at the state Capitol, where signs read, “We love you Charlie Kirk.”
At the University of Oklahoma, students gathered in solidarity, with organizers saying their message was simple: unity in a time of darkness.
JD Vance to visit Charlie Kirk’s family in Utah
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance will visit Salt Lake City today to pay respects to the Kirk family, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to NewsNation.
Vance was a close friend of Kirk, posting a lengthy tribute late Wednesday night.
“And now that Charlie is in heaven, I’ll ask him to talk to big man directly on behalf of his family, his friends, and the country he loved so dearly,” Vance wrote on social media. “You ran a good race, my friend.”
The Vances were previously expected to travel to New York City for the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Manhunt continues after 2 released
Police and Utah Valley University officials initially said Wednesday that a suspect was in custody, but they’ve since been released.
“The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on social media. “Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency.”
Another person of interest was also detained last Wednesday for questioning and was later released.
Police said they are reviewing “multiple active crime scenes” and urged the public to share any photos, videos or information that could aid the investigation.