A person of interest is in custody following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said Wednesday.

“The investigation is ongoing, but I want to be crystal clear to whoever did this: we will find him, we will prosecute him, and we will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Cox said.

The person of interest is being questioned, authorities said at a news conference today.

The FBI Director says a suspect is in custody

The FBI has arrested the person suspected of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the neck on a Utah college campus today, agency Director Kash Patel said.

“The individual behind today’s horrific shooting that took the life of Charlie Kirk is in custody. We are grateful to local and state authorities in Utah for their cooperation with the FBI. We will keep you updated as soon as we are able,” Patel wrote on his X social media profile.

Authorities believe there was only one person involved in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus this morning, Cox said.

“At this time, no There is no information that leads us to believe there is a second person involved,” Cox said at a news conference Wednesday.

Still, investigators are “actively seeking” people who may have more information about the shooting, he added.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made it clear today that he considers the killing of Charlie Kirk “a political assassination.”

“I want to be very clear that this is a political assassination,” Cox said at the news conference.

He called it a “dark day for our state” and a “tragic day for our nation.”

A murder framed in political violence

Commentator Charlie Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot dead on Wednesday during a mass event at a university in Utah, causing enormous shock among Republican ranks at a time marked by the increase in political violence in the country.

The 31-year-old conservative activist and one of the youngest figures in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, was shot in the neck while participating in a debate at Utah Valley University (UVU) in front of some 2,000 people.

“The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk has passed away,” Trump reported on the Truth Social platform, shortly after he had been transferred in critical condition to Timpanogos Hospital, in the city of Orem, in the state of Utah.

Trump ordered that flags be flown at half-staff after learning of the death of the activist.

The moment of the shooting, which occurred moments after he spoke about gun violence in the US, was captured from several angles by the crowd at the event and spread on social media.

The FBI has created a digital tip line to obtain information about the shooting of Charlie Kirk, the agency announced on X.