A suspect has been arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, officials said Friday morning. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the suspect had been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22.
Cox said Robinson resides in Southern Utah and confessed to his father. He said Robinson’s father had recognized his son as the subject of photos released by law enforcement, and urged him to turn himself in. Two law enforcement sources said Robinson’s father reported his son to clergy, who took the tip to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night, FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday.
Cox said he believed Robinson acted alone, and that there is no information at this time “that would lead to any additional arrests.”
Cox thanked the family members of the suspected shooter, who he said “did the right thing” in bringing him to law enforcement.
Utah Governor’s Office
President Donald Trump was the first to announce the suspect was in custody during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” Friday morning.
Cox said a family member told investigators that Robinson had become more political in recent years, and referenced an incident where Robinson had come to dinner and mentioned Kirk’s upcoming appearance.
Kirk shot while engaging in campus debate
Kirk, who was 31, was engaging in one of his signature “Prove Me Wrong” debates at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed on Wednesday afternoon. The event was part of Turning Point USA’s “The American Comeback Tour,” and there were over 3,000 people in attendance when Kirk was shot, police said.
Kirk’s next event had been set for Utah State University. The university confirmed that Robinson had attended the school for one semester in 2021.
Kirk had just begun to debate someone in the audience about gun violence when he was shot, witnesses said. Just one shot was fired, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said on Wednesday night. Kirk was struck in the neck.
A university spokeswoman said the single shot is believed to have been fired from the Losee Center for Student Success, which houses a number of services and resources. A law enforcement source told CBS News the gunman appeared to have fired from the building’s roof.
Details on evidence emerge
After the shooting, the shooter jumped off the building and fled into a neighborhood off campus, Mason said. Photos released by law enforcement showed a person wearing a dark baseball cap, black glasses, a long-sleeved dark shirt that appeared to feature an American flag and an eagle, and dark-colored pants.
FBI
Investigators recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle that they believe was used in the assassination, Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Salt Lake City field office, said Thursday. The gun was found wrapped in a dark towel in a wooded area where the shooter fled, Bohls said.
Cox also said investigators reviewed messages on the messaging platform Discord from a person named “Tyler” that referenced a rifle wrapped in a towel that was left in the woods and engravings on bullets.
Cox said that there were inscriptions on the casings of the fired bullet and three unfired ones. The fired bullet casing contained the inscription, “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” An unfired bullet casing read, “Hey fascist, catch!” And a second unfired casing read, “oh bella ciao, bella cio, bella ciao, ciao, ciao.” A third unfired casing said, “If you read this, you are gay.”
Cox declined to speculate on the meaning of the inscriptions.
“I will leave that up to you to interpret what those engravings mean,” Cox said. He added that the “Hey fascist, catch!” inscription “speaks for itself.”
The arrest comes after two people were briefly taken into custody, then released, on Wednesday. Neither individual had ties to the shooting, the Utah Department of Public Safety said on Wednesday night. The second person taken into custody was charged with obstruction of justice, the department said.
Kirk was a close ally of President Trump and a friend of Donald Trump Jr.
The president, who ordered flags be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening, announced plans to honor Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.” He also released a video statement blaming the “radical left” for the killing. Politicians and figures on both sides of the aisle have condemned Kirk’s killing.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and their two young children. Vice President JD Vance accompanied Kirk’s casket as it was transported Thursday aboard Air Force Two to Arizona, where the family lives.
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Kerry Breen