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Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing identified

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A suspect in the deadly shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was identified Friday morning as a man from Utah.

Kirk was killed on Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, where he was kicking off a national speaking tour of college campuses. Investigators say he was shot in the neck with a high-powered rifle.

Utah and federal law enforcement officials said Friday that the suspect is Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah. President Donald Trump had broken the news of the arrest earlier Friday during a Fox News appearance.

Robinson's father, who recognized him from photos the FBI distributed Thursday, convinced Robinson to turn himself in, ABC News reported.

Officials said Friday that Robinson had etched "Hey, fascist! Catch!" onto a shell casing.

Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA, a political organization that sought to bring young adults into Republican politics. The group has chapters on campuses across the country, including the University of Missouri.

A student group was working to bring Kirk's tour to campus before he died, an MU spokesperson said Thursday.

Article Topic Follows: Crime

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Matthew Sanders

Matthew Sanders is the digital content director at ABC 17 News.

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