W A S H I N G T O N : Authorities have shared their most detailed account yet of the investigation set off by the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which concluded with a suspect surrendering to police.

Here are key details Utah County prosecutor Jeffrey Gray released about the case centering on 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson: `Sniper positions` When a lone gunshot rang out during Kirk`s outdoor event on September 10, a Utah Valley University police officer believed the weapon to be a rifle `because of its sound, Gray said, and began looking for `potential sniper positions.` About 160 yards (150 meters) away, the officer spotted a roof area `as a potential shooting position.

There, he found `impressions in the gravel` consistent with the body of a `person in a prone shooting position.` Security surveillance footage confirmed that an individual dressed in dark clothing was on the roof at approximately 12:15 pm local time, Gray said.

That revelation marked the start of a 33-hour manhunt.

The apparent suspect entered campus at 11:51 am local time, wearing a black shirt with an American flag in the center, a dark baseball cap and large sunglasses, Gray said.

His appearance gave few clues, but the suspect`s posture appeared to indicate that he was hiding something.

`The suspect keeps his head down. He is seen walking with an unusual gait, with very little bending in his right leg, consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants,` Gray said.

Security cameras also caught the suspect descending from the roofimmediately after the shooting and fleeing campus on foot.

A rifle with a scope was found in the woods nearby, wrapped in a towel. `The rifle contained one spent round and three unspent rounds,` Gray said.

The unspent rounds were engraved with enigmatic messages: `hey fascist catch` followed by arrow symbols believed to be a video game cheat code, the famed anti-fascist song `oh, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, ciao, ciao` and `if you read this, you are gay, lmao.` Robinson`s DNA was discovered on the gun`s trigger, the shell casing, two cartridges and the towel, authorities said.

That`s not all the evidence that identified him.

A parent knows The next day, Tyler Robinson`s mother saw footage of the shooter on the news and thought he resembled her son.

But when she called, `he said he was at home sick, like he had been the day before, Gray said.

Robinson`s father also recognized `that the rifle that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift.` Robinson`s mother told investigators her son had recently `become more political and had started to lean more to the left` to embrace gay and trans rights, Gray said.

`She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views.` Robinson described his father as becoming `hardcore MAGA` since Trump returned to the White House, Gray said, referring to the president`s `Make America Great Again` movement.-AFP