The person arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Law enforcement described Robinson as a 22-year-old Utah local. President Donald Trump announced Friday morning that a suspect has been taken into custody following the killing of Kirk, 31, at Utah Valley University.
“We got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference on Friday morning, confirming Robinson’s identity. “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.”
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Cox said that authorities believe Robinson acted alone. He added that the suspect was not a student at UVU, and that he lived in Washington County with his family.
According to public information, Robinson’s mother, Amber Robinson, 44, is a licensed social worker who works for Intermountain Support Coordination Services, a company contracted by the state of Utah to provide services to people with disabilities.
His father Matt, 48, runs a business installing kitchen countertops, cabinets, and stone surfaces in their hometown of Washington, Utah.
Robinson has previously registered as a nonpartisan voter. Both Robinson’s parents are registered Republicans, according to public records. His father holds an active hunting license, while his mother’s appears to have lapsed.
At the news conference, Gov. Cox said a family member of Robinson’s said the suspect had “become more political in recent years,” and that he had spoken about Kirk specifically in the days leading up to the shooting on Wednesday.
“In the conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said.
Robinson’s roommate also showed authorities messages on Discord, which were at first believed to be sent by Robinson.
However, the group chat app said that its investigation found that the messages were between Robinson’s roommate and a friend, recounting the contents of a note that they had found from Robinson.
Cox summarized the messages as describing “a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush, messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel,” Cox said.
The messages also mentioned engraving bullets and a unique scope and rifle, according to Cox.
The governor also detailed inscriptions found on ammunition from a bolt-action rifle recovered after the shooting. A fired casing had the inscription “notice bulges OWO what’s this?” Inscriptions on three unfired casings had messages including “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
Another bore the words “Bella ciao,” apparently referring to a song popular with the Italian anti-fascist resistance in World War II. In recent years, the phrase has also gained cachet through the first-person shooter game Far Cry 6.
Robinson’s father recognized pictures of his son that the FBI put out as part of its 30+ hour search for the shooter.
From there, Robinson’s father contacted a youth pastor who sometimes works with the U.S. Marshals, and authorities arranged for Tyler to turn himself in at a sheriff’s office in southwest Utah.
Beau Mason, Utah’s public safety commissioner, said that investigators were able to “peacefully make contact with him and move through that process of making the arrest.”
Robinson was admitted to Utah State University on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video his mother posted online in 2021. The university confirmed in a statement that Robinson “briefly attended” for just one semester that year.
News of Robinson’s arrest comes as FBI Director Kash Patel received intense scrutiny over his handling of the killing. Patel declared that a suspect had been arrested on Wednesday shortly after the attack, only to say that the person had been released under two hours later.
A second person was also taken into custody before being released.
At the news conference Friday, Patel said Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. in Utah on Thursday and lauded the efforts of law enforcement.
“In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie,” Patel said. He ended his remarks by saying: “Rest now, brother. We have the watch, and I’ll see you in Valhalla.”
The Utah County Attorney’s Office said on Friday that it would file charges against Robinson on Tuesday, after reviewing the evidence against him.
He’s facing at least three felony charges, including aggravated murder, according to Utah County Jail records cited by the Washington Post. He additionally faces obstruction of justice and weapons charges.
“Assuming all goes as planned and we file charges on Tuesday, Mr. Robinson’s first appearance will be Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. MDT,” said a spokesperson at the Utah County attorney’s office.
