OREM, UT — A 22-year-old man from Washington, Utah, is in custody and facing charges for the fatal shooting of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk, officials announced Friday.
The suspect, identified as Tyler Robinson, was arrested after his family and friends provided critical information to law enforcement. Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced that Robinson was not a student at the university. He also stated that law enforcement anticipates it will take three days to complete the necessary paperwork for Robinson’s charges.
During a news conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed the arrest, stating, “We got him.” According to Cox, a family member of Robinson’s reached out to a family friend on the evening of September 11, sharing that Robinson had confessed to or implied he committed the crime. The family member then urged Robinson to turn himself in and contacted a youth pastor for assistance. The pastor, in turn, called the U.S. Marshals, who took Robinson into custody.
Surveillance and Digital Clues
Investigators pieced together a timeline of events using surveillance footage and digital evidence. The governor stated that authorities reviewed surveillance footage from Utah Valley University (UVU) and observed Robinson arriving on campus on Wednesday morning in a Dodge Challenger. He was wearing a plain maroon T-shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo, and light-colored shoes. When investigators encountered Robinson during his arrest, he was wearing clothing consistent with the description from the video.
The investigation was further aided by Robinson’s roommate, who provided investigators with messages from the group chat app Discord. According to Cox, the roommate allowed investigators to photograph his screen, revealing messages from Robinson. The messages talked about retrieving a rifle from a “drop point,” leaving it in a bush, and later, wrapping it in a towel. The messages also mentioned engraving bullets and a unique rifle with a scope.
Motive and Confession
Cox also shared details about a possible motive, stating that a family member of Robinson’s told investigators that Robinson had become increasingly political in recent years. During a family dinner, Robinson allegedly mentioned that Kirk was coming to UVU and expressed his dislike for him, saying Kirk was “full of hate and spreading hate.”
Following the shooting, Robinson’s father identified his son from photos that had been made public by authorities. This information, along with the subsequent tip from the family friend, helped lead to Robinson’s swift arrest.
The shooting, which has been called a “political assassination” by officials, occurred as Kirk addressed an estimated crowd of 3,000 people.
Videos of the event show a person on the roof of a campus building over a hundred yards away, from where a single shot was fired, striking Kirk.
One video appeared to show Kirk’s head jerking back as blood poured from his neck. He was delivering remarks while sitting under a tent with the slogan “The American Comeback” printed on it.
Officials recovered the firearm used to shoot Kirk from a nearby roof.
