Puzzle over motives of alleged shooter who 'confessed to his dad'

It was a manhunt across Utah with a $100,000 reward on the table, the FBI under fierce scrutiny and a political blame game erupting in Washington as America reeled from one of the most significant political assassinations in years.

- Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

But the search for the killer of conservative icon Charlie Kirk ended not with a dramatic shoot out but a quiet family drama on Thursday night as a father convinced his fugitive son to give himself up to the police.

FBI director Kash Patel - who had faced criticism for earlier incorrectly stating they had a suspect in custody - said that "in 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie".

But those hours were also marked by false claims, incendiary rhetoric and a growing fear that the United States of America was tearing itself apart.

At 8.29am on Wednesday, Robinson drove on to the Utah Valley University campus before scaling stairwells and making his way on to the roof of a building about 400ft from the tent where Kirk was due to speak.

At 12.09pm, Kirk arrived and started the event. As is usual on his speaking tours, he invited members of the audience to challenge his views and started engaging in debate.

Fourteen minutes later, just as he was answering a question about gun control and mass shootings, a single shot was fired, hitting Kirk in the neck.