Officials say the suspect in the murder of activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, was arrested after his father advised his son to turn himself in and alert a pastor.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspect was arrested at 10 p.m. on September 11 in St. George, Utah, 33 hours after the killing.
At a press conference on September 12, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the suspect was Tyler Robinson, 22, of Washington County, Utah. The suspect’s father recognized his son in photos released by authorities. He advised his son to turn himself in and contacted a young pastor who was a family friend. The pastor then contacted police, who took the suspect to the police station.
Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, shooting with serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. A Utah judge ordered the suspect held without bail in the Utah County Jail. Court records show he has no criminal record
The governor thanked the suspect’s family, stressing they had “done the right thing.” The family said Robinson had become more politically oriented in recent years and had made negative comments about Kirk at a dinner.
“Robinson mentioned Kirk was going to Utah Valley University when he was talking to a relative. They discussed Kirk’s views and why they didn’t like the young activist,” Cox said. Robinson described Kirk as “hateful, hate-mongering.”
Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on the afternoon of September 10. Security camera footage shows the gunman climbing onto the roof of a building across from the event, opening fire, then jumping off and fleeing to a nearby residential area.
In recent days, authorities have recovered the rifle believed to be the murder weapon and released video and photos of the suspect. The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the perpetrator.
Cox said the suspect was not a Utah Valley University student. Robinson’s roommate showed investigators messages on the chat app Discord in which the suspect mentioned taking a rifle from a hiding spot, leaving it in the bushes, and describing the location of the hiding place. One message showed the gun wrapped in a towel.
“The messages also mentioned engraving on the bullets and mentioned a scope,” Cox added. One of Robinson’s shell casings was engraved with the lyrics to the Italian folk song Bella Ciao, the Utah governor said. An unfired bullet had the words “Take this Nazi!” written on it.
Cox believes Robinson acted alone, but noted that the investigation is ongoing. “At this time, we do not have any leads on any other suspects,” Cox said.
President Trump called Kirk, 31, “a legend.” Many White House staffers have known Kirk for nearly a decade, since Trump first ran for president in 2016. He played a significant role in Trump’s 2024 campaign.
At a 9/11 memorial event at the Pentagon, President Trump announced that he would posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
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