Charlie Kirk’s widow says her cries will ‘echo around the world’

Charlie Kirk’s widow has said her “cries” will “echo around the world like a battle cry” in a pointed message for “the evildoers responsible” for the assassination of the conservative activist.

On Friday, Erika Kirk delivered her first public remarks since the shooting, from the office where her late husband hosted his podcast.

She said he loved America, nature and the Chicago Cubs.

“But most of all, Charlie loved his children and he loved me with all of his heart,” she said.

Addressing her husband’s killer, she said: “You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife.

“The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”

She also thanked US President Donald Trump, saying through tears that her husband loved the president, and vowed to keep her husband’s work alive, continuing his campus tour, radio show and podcast.

It came after authorities said the man accused in Mr Kirk’s assassination had earlier expressed to family his opposition to Mr Kirk’s viewpoints.

Tyler Robinson, 22, had become “more political” in the run-up to the shooting and had indicated to a family friend afterwards that he was responsible, Utah governor Spencer Cox said.

Mr Cox also cited as key pieces of evidence engravings on bullets found in a rifle believed to have been used in the attack, as well as chatting app messages attributed to the shooting suspect which a roommate shared with law enforcement.

The Republican governor called Mr Kirk’s killing an “attack on the American experiment”, and he urged a new generation to “choose a different path”.

Robinson was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm and obstruction of justice charges, according to a court affidavit.

A judge ordered that he be held without bail. Formal charges are expected early next week.

Robinson is believed to have acted alone and the investigation is ongoing, Mr Cox said.

Authorities have yet to reveal a motive, but they did describe evidence they said shed potential light on the killing.

That includes engravings on bullet casings recovered from the high-powered rifle believed to have been used in the attack, including one that said “Hey, fascist! Catch!”, Mr Cox said.

In addition, a roommate shared with authorities messages from the chatting app Discord that involved a contact named Tyler and discussed a rifle wrapped in a towel, engraved bullets and a scope, the governor said.

A Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle was found in a towel in a wooded area along the path investigators believe Robinson took after firing a shot from a distant roof and then fleeing.

The clothes the suspect wore when confronted by law enforcement late on Thursday were consistent with what he had on when he arrived on campus a day earlier, and a family member confirmed that he drove a grey Dodge Challenger like the one seen in surveillance video that recorded Robinson driving to the university on the day of the shooting, Mr Cox said.

Robinson’s father recognised him from the photos released by the FBI and told him to turn himself in. Robinson refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

His father asked for help from their youth pastor, who also occasionally works with the US Marshals and called the agency so he could turn himself in.

Meanwhile, investigators continued to dig into the background of Robinson, who was admitted to Utah State University, about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account.

However, he attended for only one semester in 2021, a university spokesperson said.

Robinson’s address was still listed as his parent’s home and he is registered as an unaffiliated voter, according to Utah state records. He does not appear to have a prior criminal record.

The family lives in a suburb of the city of St George in southern Utah, about a three-hour drive south of the Utah Valley University campus where Mr Kirk was shot.

Family members of Robinson did not immediately return messages seeking comment. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.

At his family’s home, window coverings were drawn and a pick-up truck blocked access to the driveway. There was a heavy police presence, with several police vehicles parked along the street, which was closed at both ends.

Robinson’s arrest early on Friday morning was disclosed by Mr Trump, who said in a Fox News Channel interview that, “with a high degree of certainty, we have him”.

News of the arrest came hours after the FBI and state officials had pleaded for public help by releasing additional photographs of the suspect, a move that seemed to indicate that law enforcement was uncertain of the person’s whereabouts.

Mr Kirk was killed by a single shot in what police said was a targeted attack and Utah’s governor called a political assassination.

He co-founded the nonprofit political organisation Turning Point USA, based in Arizona.

He had been speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point at Utah Valley University at the time of Wednesday’s shooting. He was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead hours later.

“He wanted to help young people, and he didn’t deserve this,” Mr Trump said on Friday. “He was really a good person.”

Mr Trump, who was joined by Democrats in condemning the violence, said he would award Mr Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US.

Vice president JD Vance and his wife, Usha, visited with Mr Kirk’s family on Thursday in Salt Lake City.

Mr Kirk’s coffin was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, where his non-profit political youth organisation is based.

Mr Trump told reporters he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral. Details have not been announced.