Clues at first only included a palm print, an impression of the shoes sole, and a rifle found in the woods. Anonymous and random tips numbered in the thousands, but eventually the alleged killer of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was caught because “someone very close turned him in”.
He has since been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, first reported by multiple news outlets and later confirmed by probe agencies, including the FBI. His father and a clergy member are reported to have aided the police.
President Donald Trump's statement during an interview on Friday partially unraveled the manhunt that led to the capture. Trump did add a caveat of “I think… with high degree of certainty”, and said details would be shared by investigators later.
Is it the man in the photos?
But even in a rambling set of sentences, Trump managed to share enough information for a sketch of how the operation to nab the suspect went.
He said he won't name who — “whether it's the parents or someone else” — but “someone very close” had led the FBI and other agencies to the suspect.
{{/usCountry}}He said he won't name who — “whether it's the parents or someone else” — but “someone very close” had led the FBI and other agencies to the suspect.
{{/usCountry}}He also said that the suspect was indeed the one in the photos released by the FBI.
The shooter had blended into the campus crowd because of a “college-age” appearance. He fired a single shot from the rooftop.
7,000 leads came in
Officials had said they got more than 7,000 leads and tips after a $100,000 reward was set for information leading to an arrest.
The release of photos and some videos, though blurry, was a crucial step, which came just hours before Trump made his statement in an interview on a Fox TV show. Trump said those close to you can even identify you by “a tilt of the head”.
A video released on Thursday showed the suspect walking through the grass and across the street, before disappearing.
The motive remained unclear, though it is being theorised as an act of political violence as Kirk was a vocal conservative who had controversial views on a range of subjects — from Palestine to India, to mass shootings and the gun violence that claimed his life. He was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday.
Two people were taken into custody shortly after the shooting, but were determined not to be connected.
Newer and enhanced photos of a person in a hat, sunglasses, a long-sleeve black shirt and a backpack, were released. Public help was sought.
Eventually, the clues included a Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle found in a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three other rounds were loaded, as per a report by news agency AP. The weapon was being analysed as of Thursday, and on Friday Trump announced he's been caught.
“I hope he was going to be found guilty, I would imagine, and I hope he gets the death penalty,” Trump said.
“Charlie Kirk was the finest person that he didn’t deserve this. He worked so hard and so well. Everybody liked him,” added the President, who has announced the highest civilian honour in the US for Kirk, his close ally.