President Trump said Friday on Fox News Channel that a minister also involved with law enforcement helped turn the suspect in to authorities.
WASHINGTON — Authorities have reported that a 22-year-old man from Utah has been apprehended in relation to the shooting death of conservative media figure Charlie Kirk.
Tyler Robinson, of Washington, Utah, was arrested late Thursday night, 33 hours after Kirk was shot, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“We got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared during a Friday morning press conference.
Members of the suspect’s family and a family friend facilitated his surrender to law enforcement, according to Cox.
The governor mentioned that investigators suspect Robinson became increasingly political in recent years and had pointed out Kirk’s visit to UVU to his family.
“Robinson had become more political in recent years,” Cox said. “Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU.”
Court documents accessed by NBC News reveal that Robinson faces charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, and obstruction of justice.
Officials on Friday said Robinson was booked into the Washington County jail but has not formally been charged yet.
Initial arrest charges are the alleged offenses a person is suspected of at the time of arrest. The actual charges presented in court may vary, being brought forth by district attorneys representing the state or federal government.
Officials stated on Friday that formal charges would be filed within three days, as Utah law allows prosecutors a three-day window to present a charging indictment outlining the case against a suspect.
President Trump was the first to provide details about the arrest, speaking during a live interview on “Fox and Friends” before law enforcement officials formally announced an arrest or named Robinson as the suspect.
“We have the person that we think is the person we’re looking for,” Trump said during the morning show interview in New York City.
Who is Tyler Robinson?
The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah named Tyler Robinson, authorities said.
According to investigators, a family member of Robinson stated that Robinson had become more political in recent years.
During his remarks on Fox News, the president said a minister – also involved with law enforcement – helped turn the suspect in.
Robinson went to Utah State University for one semester in 2021, a spokesperson for the university confirmed to NBC News. State officials said he lived with his parents at their home in Washington, Utah.
Cox said Friday morning that bullets found with the rifle Robinson allegedly used to kill Kirk were engraved with messages. Many of those messages have their roots in popular internet culture and memes.
One of the bullets bore the engraving “Hey fascist! Catch ->” while another bore the Italian phrase “Ciao, Bella,” which rose to popularity as a catchphrase on the show Arrested Development.
Others bore references to online memes and jokes.
Charlie Kirk shot, fatal attack sends hundreds running for cover
Videos posted to social media show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogan “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong.”
A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching for his neck with his right hand. Stunned spectators can be heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.
During a Thursday morning press conference, authorities revealed they have recovered what they believe to be the suspect’s weapon. A high-powered, bolt-action rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the suspected shooter fled, the FBI said.
Utah authorities said the shooter wore dark clothing and fired from a roof on campus some distance away.
A two-day hunt for a suspect
During the Thursday morning press conference, state and federal officials said they had good video footage of the suspect — who they described as appearing to be college-age and someone who “blended in” with the college population at Utah Valley University, where the fatal shooting took place in an open-air amphitheater.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said they were able to track the suspect’s movement, with the individual arriving on campus around 11:52 a.m., going through stairwells and accessing the distant rooftop where the fatal shot was fired.
Mason said the suspect jumped off the roof and fled into a neighborhood amid the aftermath.
Friday, officials said Robinson changed out of the dark outfit seen in the photos released by law enforcement officials, in an effort to avoid detection after the attack.
He was identified driving to and from the Utah Valley University campus in a gray car that belonged to him. Officials said he drove more than three hours from his home in Washington, Utah to the college campus before making the same trip back after the shooting.
Previous persons of interest before the arrest
Utah Valley University officials sent a message to students immediately after the shooting saying a person of interest had been detained. Video footage from the event showed an elderly man being dragged away by police.
But hours later, officials said they released the man, who has been described as a “political gadfly” according to the Salt Lake Tribune, and charged him with obstructing justice.
FBI Director Patel said Wednesday evening that another person of interest had been arrested. But again, hours later, that second person was released.
