Journalism of Courage
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking in a press conference, confirmed on Friday that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been taken into custody.
“We got him. On the evening of September 11, a family member of Tyler Robinson 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,” Cox said during the news conference alongside FBI Chief Kash Patel.
Patel, later, confirmed that Robinson was taken into custody at 10 pm local time on Thursday, September 11 .
Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while addressing a campus event at Utah Valley University. Earlier, US President Donald Trump also announced the arrest of the suspect , announcing on Fox News that “with a high degree of certainty, we have him.” Trump claimed the man was turned in by someone “very close to him.”
Cox also said that investigators spoke with a relative of Robinson, who described him as having become “more political in recent years.”
According to Cox, the family member recalled a dinner conversation before September 10 in which Robinson brought up Kirk’s upcoming visit to Utah Valley University. During that exchange, another family member allegedly remarked that Kirk was “full of hate and spreading hate.”
Cox said that investigators also found inscriptions on the shooter’s gun casings. On one of three unfired casings read “hey fascist! Catch!”, a second read “oh bella ciao” and a third one read: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO”. Cox also said that Robinson is not a student at UVU.
Surveillance video released late on Thursday showed a man walking across the roof of a building on the Utah Valley University campus, where the fatal shot was fired, before climbing down, dropping to the ground and slipping into a nearby wooded area. Investigators later recovered what they described as a high-powered bolt-action rifle, believed to be the weapon used in the attack.
The suspect was seen arriving on campus in a Dodge Challenger, dressed in a plain maroon T-shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo, and light-colored shoes. Officials said he blended in with students because of his college-age appearance.
When investigators approached him later, he was wearing attire “consistent” with what was captured on the footage, Cox added. Robinson briefly attended Utah State University, enrolling for just one semester in 2021, the school confirmed to NBC News.
Authorities have charged him with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm resulting in serious injury, and obstruction of justice. Voter registration records further revealed that Robinson was unaffiliated with any political party and had not cast a ballot in the past two elections.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said investigators were gathering DNA evidence, including palm impressions and smudges, and had identified a shoe imprint matching Converse sneakers. The FBI had offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Daily Mail reported that Robinson’s father is a 27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, while his mother, Amber Robinson, works for Intermountain Support Coordination Services, a state-contracted agency assisting disabled individuals.
According to the report, Tyler allegedly confessed to his father that he was the shooter. The family’s social media depicts a seemingly normal life, showing Tyler with his two younger brothers on vacations and celebrating milestones, including his college acceptance. He lives in a six-bedroom home valued at around $600,000 in Washington, Utah, roughly 260 miles south of Orem, where Charlie Kirk was killed, the Daily Mail added.
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck on Wednesday while addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University in Orem. Graphic videos of the shooting, widely shared on social media, showed him collapsing as panicked spectators screamed and fled. He was taken to hospital but died hours later.
Bolt-action rifles, unlike semi-automatic weapons often used in mass shootings, require manual loading of each round but are prized by hunters and military snipers for their long-range accuracy.
Trump said Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a great person, a great man — great in every way, especially with youth.”
Vice President JD Vance, who cancelled a planned trip to New York to be with Kirk’s family, credited the activist with helping shape Trump’s 2024 victory and the administration’s appointments. Vance accompanied the family and Kirk’s casket aboard Air Force Two to Arizona, where his organisation is based.
