Officials have identified the person accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk[1] as 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference on Friday morning that investigators arrested and identified Robinson after analyzing surveillance footage, interviewing Robinson’s family members and reviewing online messages between Robinson and his roommate.
“We got him,” Cox said, standing with FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials. Robinson is expected to be charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA and an influential voice in the Trump administration, was shot and killed Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University, a public school south of Salt Lake City. His killing launched a multi-day manhunt among local, state and federal authorities.
The investigation and arrest
Cox said that a family member of Robinson’s reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident. According to Cox, investigators interviewed a family member of Robinson’s who said he had “become more political in recent years.”
“The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to September 10, and in the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU,” Cox said. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had.”
Cox said that investigators interviewed Robinson’s roommate, who showed authorities messages on Discord between Robinson and his roommate.
The messages associated with the name Tyler state “a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush,” engraving bullets, “having left the rifle wrapped in a towel” and “a mention of a scope and the rifle being unique,” Cox said.
Authorities said on Thursday that recovered a “high-powered, bolt-action rifle” in a wooded area just off the of the university campus in conditions that match Robinson’s messages.
Cox said the rifle was Mauser 98 .30-06 and had a scope mounted on top of it. He added that inscriptions engraved on casings found with the rifle.
One of the inscriptions had the lyrics to the Italian folk song “Bella Ciao,” Cox said. Another read “Hey fascists! Catch!” with an up arrow, a right arrow and three down arrows. A third stated, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
According to Cox, the inscription on the casing fired said: “notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?”
The governor added that investigators also identified Robinson in surveillance from the Utah Valley University — where Kirk was killed on Wednesday — which showed him arriving to UVU at 8:29 a.m. in a gray Dodge Challenger.
When investigators approached Robinson Thursday, he “was observed in consistent clothing with those surveillance images,” Cox said. Surveillance images released by the FBI on Thursday show what appears to be a young, thin man wearing a black long sleeved T-shirt with an American flag on it, black sunglasses, an Adidas hat, jeans and converse sneakers.
NBC News’ searches of state and national public records associated with Robinson’s name and date of birth found no indication of the 22 year old having a prior criminal record.
Public records indicate that Robinson’s last voter registration date was on July 13, 2021, and his political party is none declared.
Robinson went to Utah State University for one semester in 2021, a spokesperson for the university confirmed to NBC News.
Trump announced arrest on Fox News
President Donald Trump, who announced Kirk’s death on Wednesday, was again the first to share that the suspect in Kirk’s slaying was in custody on Friday morning.
“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him — in custody … everyone did a great job we worked with the local police, the governor, everybody did a great job,” he said in an interview on Fox News.
Trump suggested that the suspect’s father turned him into authorities.
“Somebody that’s close recognizes even a little tilt of the head, which nobody else would do,” Trump said “And somebody that was very close to him said ‘hm, that’s him’ and essentially went to the father, went to a U.S. Marshal.”
“And the father convinced the son, ‘this is it,'” Trump added.
Trump repeatedly warned throughout the interview that his information was preliminary, saying he is “always subject to be corrected.”
The latest example of political violence
Kirk’s killing has prompted national outrage in recent days and renewed fears over political violence[3] in the United States. The shooting was the latest in a series of attacks and threats targeting U.S. political figures of both parties, including President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“This is certainly about the the tragic death, assassination, political assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Cox, a Republican, said. “But it is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals.”
Turning Point USA has not publicly commented on the arrest or the identification of the suspect.
In a statement on Thursday, Turning Point USA said Kirk had faced “thousands” of threats throughout his life but “always prioritized reaching as many young Americans as possible over his own personal safety.”
“All of us will miss Charlie,” the group said. “None of us will ever forget him.”
References
- ^ conservative activist Charlie Kirk (www.nbcnews.com)
- ^ Follow live updates (www.nbcnews.com)
- ^ political violence (www.nbcnews.com)