As students filed back onto campus for a new academic year, Charlie Kirk was returning to the road — and when he landed in Utah on the morning of September 10, 2025, the 31-year-old conservative activist was said to be brimming with anticipation.
Utah was familiar political ground for Kirk and Turning Point USA, the pro-MAGA youth organization he helped build. In a deeply Republican state where nearly 60 percent of voters had backed Donald Trump the previous year, his message was expected to find a receptive audience.
Still, Kirk understood that college campuses rarely offered a one-sided conversation. Across the state, close to 8,000 students had signed petitions urging schools to block his American Comeback Tour. Rather than avoid the backlash, Kirk planned to lean into it, inviting opponents to step up, take the microphone and challenge him beneath a tent marked with the phrase: “Prove Me Wrong.”
The tour was set to begin at Utah Valley University in Orem, about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. From there, Kirk’s schedule would take him to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, followed by events at the University of Minnesota and Virginia Tech, before a planned return to Utah for a September 30 appearance at Utah State University.
Kirk’s team promoted the campus swing as a series of “high energy evenings” built around blunt exchanges and open discussion of conservative values.
One promotional flier made the pitch even more directly: “Don’t agree with Charlie? Great, you go to the front of the line.”
Within hours, Kirk — a father to a three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son — would be fatally shot.
Tyler Robinson, a 23-year-old apprentice electrician, has been charged with Kirk’s murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty, and a trial date is expected to be set at his next court hearing on October 23.
This is prosecutors’ version of events.
Charlie Kirk is seen speaking to the crowd on September 10, 2025 moments before he was shot
Wednesday, September 10
8.29am:
Tyler Robinson, who lived with his lover Lance Twiggs at an apartment in St George, 260 miles south of Orem, is seen on surveillance footage arriving at a parking garage on Utah Valley University’s campus.
Robinson is driving a grey Dodge Challenger, wearing a maroon T-shirt, pale shorts and light gray Converse shoes with white laces.
He walks from the parking lot to where Turning Point USA workers are preparing the grassy courtyard for Kirk’s event, and speaks to them. It’s not known what was said.
Around 9am:
People start gathering for the event, which Kirk and his team requested be held in the open air, rather than inside an auditorium.
When he visited UVU’s campus in March 2019, for his first ever event in Utah, he spoke in a ballroom. But by the time he last visited the state, for an April 2024 event at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, he had switched to holding events outdoors so that people could approach him and challenge his ideas.
Kirk and his team requested his events be held in the open air, rather than inside an auditorium
9.25am:
Robinson is seen returning to the car and driving away from campus.
Just after 10am:
Robinson is caught on UVU surveillance camera footage returning to campus on foot, wearing the same clothing as earlier and carrying a blue backpack.
He walks to the Sorensen, a student center overlooking the courtyard where the event will be held, and buys food from Chick-fil-A, sitting to eat at one of the tables.
Robinson is then seen walking across campus to a wooded area beyond the perimeter of the university site.
He returns to campus shortly after, but this time he is not wearing his backpack.
11am:
Robinson is seen once more walking away from campus and heading back towards the wooded area.
11.52am:
Robinson returns to campus wearing different clothing – dark jeans, a dark t-shirt and a baseball cap. He still wears the Converse shoes.
He moves across the campus, walking up the stairwells with a very pronounced limp. His strange gait is believed to be because he has parts of the gun hidden in his pants leg.
The gunman is seen climbing onto the roof of a building some 450 feet away from the courtyard tent where Kirk was scheduled to speak at noon.
Robinson captured on surveillance footage wearing dark jeans, a dark t-shirt, baseball cap and Converse shoes
12 noon:
Three thousand people have now gathered in the grassy courtyard for Kirk’s event.
Turning Point USA has hired eight private security guards to accompany Kirk. The university has deployed eight of its own security officers – most of its 15-officer force. Six are in uniform, and two are patrolling the crowd in plain clothes. A campus police officer from Utah State University is also present, in preparation for Kirk’s September 30 appearance at their university.
12.09pm:
Kirk emerges and takes up his seat beneath the Prove Me Wrong tent, microphone in hand.
He delivers some prepared remarks and then begins taking questions from the crowd. The first question is about Mormonism and Kirk, an Evangelical Christian, spends eight minutes debating the questioner, who claims that Mormonism is more historically accurate than Protestantism.
‘First of all, I love Mormons,’ says Kirk. ‘I love how Mormons have more kids than they can afford,’ and gestures to members of his team who he says are Mormons.
‘You’ve got to get your mojo back,’ says Kirk. ‘No more of this LGBT stuff.’
The crowd roars in reply.
A second questioner, 29-year-old Hunter Kozak, takes the microphone and asks Kirk: ‘Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?’
Kirk quickly replies: ‘Too many’ – a comment again greeted with loud applause.
Kirk emerges and throws baseball caps into the crowd before taking up his seat beneath the Prove Me Wrong tent, microphone in hand
The 31-year-old is asked about Mormonism, and about transgender school shooters
12.23pm:
The gunman, lying on the roof of a nearby building, pulls the trigger on his rifle from a distance of around 415 feet.
Kirk is hit with a single bullet to the neck and slumps over.
The crowd screams and people leap to their feet and run from the scene, while a group of Kirk’s supporters carry him to a nearby SUV, which drives off in such a hurry the rear door is still open.
Kirk is taken to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, 3.3 miles from the UVU courtyard.
Surveillance footage shows the gunman running across the roof; jumping down; and walk-jogging off campus towards the wooded area.
The gunman, lying on the roof of a nearby building, pulls the trigger on his rifle from a distance of around 415 feet
The crowd at Utah Valley University scrambles to get away from the scene
The crowd screams and people leap to their feet and run from the scene
12.39pm:
The first FBI agents arrive and secure the scene.
Sometime after the shooting, according to charging documents, Robinson texts Twiggs and says: ‘Drop what you are doing, look under my keyboard.’
Twiggs finds a note which reads: ‘I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.’
Twiggs replies to Robinson and asks: ‘What??? You’re joking, right??’
Robinson replies that he is ‘stuck in orem for a little while longer,’ and had hoped to keep his involvement a secret ’till I died of old age.’ He apologizes for involving Twiggs.
Twiggs asks: ‘You weren’t the one who did it, right????’
Robinson replies: ‘I am, I’m sorry.’
Lance Twiggs asks his roommate and lover Tyler Robinson: ‘You weren’t the one who did it, right????’ Robinson replies: ‘I am, I’m sorry.’
12.48pm:
Utah Valley University sends out an emergency alert saying police are investigating ‘a single shot fired toward a visiting speaker’ – and that a suspect is in custody.
1.02pm:
President Donald Trump shares news of Kirk’s shooting on Truth Social, as videos of the shooting circulate online.
He writes: ‘We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!’
2.40pm:
Trump announces that Kirk has died.
‘The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,’ he writes on Truth Social. ‘No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!’
4.00pm:
The Republican governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, holds a press conference on the murder and calls it a ‘political assassination.’
Cox says there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody but says that the investigation is ongoing.
4.21pm:
FBI Director Kash Patel tweets that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.’
5.59pm:
Patel tweets that the ‘subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement.’
Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety (UDPS), later says two people were taken into custody and then released.
George Zinn, 71, told police: ‘I shot him, now shoot me,’ but later admitted he lied to distract from the immediate manhunt. He was charged with obstruction, while Zachariah Qureshi was released without charge, UDPS said. Qureshi, 25, a newly engaged MBA student, was standing about 25 feet away from Kirk when he was shot.
Investigators quickly concluded that neither had ties to the shooting.
Thursday, September 11
Early hours:
A campus security officer stops a driver attempting to access the campus and notes the vehicle license plate.
The vehicle is registered to Robinson.
7.00am:
Mason, the UDPS commissioner, and FBI Special Agent in Charge, Robert Bohls, hold a press conference.
They confirm that the gun used in the shooting, a Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt rifle, has been found wrapped in a towel in woods near the campus as well as a footprint, palm print and forearm impression.
A screwdriver has been found on the roof.
The gun used in the shooting, a Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt rifle, has been found wrapped in a towel in woods near the campus
9.58am:
The FBI posts the first set of photos of a person of interest. The pictures show a person in sunglasses and a baseball cap walking through a building wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, with the emblem of an American flag and bald eagle. Gray Converse sneakers are visible.
10.44am:
The FBI announces a reward of up to $100,000 ‘for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.’
6.17pm:
The FBI releases more photos of the person of interest on social media.
7.30pm:
Cox says more than 7,000 tips have been made to the authorities, and investigators have conducted nearly 200 interviews.
The governor says the state will push for the death penalty when the suspect is caught.
7.45pm:
Air Force Two, carrying Kirk’s casket, lands at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona.
Kirk’s widow Erika is on board and is seen being comforted by Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha.
Air Force Two, carrying Kirk’s casket, lands at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona
Erika Kirk waves to supporters gathered to watch her motorcade escort Charlie’s remains to the Hansen Mortuary Chapel in Phoenix
7.59pm:
The FBI releases video of the man they believe is the gunman jumping off the rooftop and running away from campus.
10pm:
Robinson’s mother, according to the charging documents, recognizes her son and contacts him. He tells her he was at home in St George and was sick – and that he had been at home all the previous day.
Robinson’s father believes that the gun the police say was used is the gun he gave to Robinson, so asks his son for a photo to prove he still has it with him. Robinson refuses.
Robinson texts Twiggs to complain about his father asking for the gun and requests that Twiggs delete their conversation.
Robinson tells his father he plans to kill himself, but his father convinces him to drive to the family home, which is near Robinson’s own apartment.
Once there, Robinson’s parents persuade him to speak to a family friend, who is a retired deputy sheriff.
Robinson, accompanied by his parents and the family friend, surrenders to the Washington County sheriff’s office, and is driven north towards Orem, where he is booked into Utah County jail.
Robinson, accompanied by his parents and the family friend, surrenders to the Washington County sheriff’s office
Friday, September 12
6am:
Trump appears on Fox and Friends and announces ‘with a high degree of certainty’ that Kirk’s suspected killer is in custody.
7am:
Cox, Patel and other officials hold a press conference and name Tyler Robinson as the suspected killer of Kirk.
They say they believe he acted alone.
