A 22-year-old Utah man was arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event on a college campus, authorities said Friday.
“We got him,” Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters at a news conference announcing the arrest of Tyler Robinson in Wednesday’s killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University. He was taken into custody Thursday night, and investigators believe he acted alone.
Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump. He led an effort to remake the GOP’s get-out-the-vote effort in the 2024 election based on the theory there were thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to do so.
His killing was the latest in a string of attacks on U.S. politicians that have targeted members of both major parties.
Here’s what to know about Kirk’s shooting:
Cox, a Republican, said a family member of Robinson’s reached out to a friend, who contacted authorities with information that Robinson had confessed or implied that he carried out the shooting. “I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing,” he said.
Robinson’s father recognized him from images released by authorities and encouraged him to turn himself in, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. He refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Robinson’s father reached out for help to a youth pastor, who helped Robinson turn himself in, the official said.
The governor would not say if Robinson is cooperating with the investigation.
Robinson was being held Friday at the Utah County Jail. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice charges, which are all felonies, according to a court affidavit. A judge ordered that he be held without bail. Court records indicate that he had not been convicted of any crimes in the past.
It was unclear Friday if Robinson had an attorney. Calls to a phone number listed as his rang unanswered.
According to Cox, Robinson’s family said he had become “more political in recent years” and had criticized Kirk, mentioning that he was due to appear at an upcoming event in Utah and saying “Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
A rifle hidden in a towel was recovered in a wooded area near the university campus. There was a spent cartridge in the chamber and three other rounds loaded in the magazine.
Cox also said bullet casings found at the crime scene were engraved with messages. One three unspent casings read “hey fascist. catch,” another that read “if you read this you are gay lmao,” and a third referenced “Bella Ciao,” a classic Italian song popular with the political left.
FBI Director Kash Patel lauded the law enforcement response to the shooting, saying, “In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie.”
Kirk’s assassination is “an attack on the American experiment” and values, and “cuts to the very foundation of who we are,” Cox said.
He noted that people have asked why there’s been so many resources dedicated to investigating Kirk’s killing when there’s violence around the country, but that a politically motivated shooting is “much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us.”
Kirk’s killing was swiftly condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X: “The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”
Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation. The president, who sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year, said he and Kirk had a close relationship.
“He wanted to help young people, and he didn’t deserve this,” Trump said Friday. “He was really a good person.”
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point when the shooter fired from a distant rooftop, authorities said.
Videos posted on social media show Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent. A single shot rings out and Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck.
Utah Valley is the state’s largest public university, with an enrollment of 47,000. It’s about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of the state capital, Salt Lake City.
The university canceled classes through the week and closed the campus until at least Monday.
Hours before Robinson’s arrest, the FBI said it was looking for a “person of interest” in the shooting and released a series of photos showing the person wearing a hat, sunglasses, a long-sleeve black shirt and a backpack.
Police shared video of the person racing across the roof of the building from where authorities say the shot was fired, dropping down to the ground and walking off campus. Authorities said Friday that Robinson is not a student at Utah Valley and that he has been living with family.
Kirk was 18 years old when he co-founded Turning Point in suburban Chicago in 2012 with William Montgomery, a tea party activist. They aimed to take their ideas for low taxes and limited government to college campuses.
Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination for president in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to the then-candidate’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during the general election campaign.
Kirk also was known for provocative statements on race that he used to court Gen Z voters.
“I’m sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified,’” Kirk said during a 2024 podcast with fellow conservative activist Jack Posobiec.
Kirk staunchly opposed the enactment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
Trump said Thursday that he would posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk at a later date.
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Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst contributed.
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