The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk managed to elude authorities for 33 hours, skillfully avoiding capture despite carrying out one of the most public acts of violence in recent American history.
Tyler Robinson, 22, allegedly shot Kirk as he addressed a crowd at Utah Valley University last Wednesday, prompting serious questions regarding the response of the FBI and local police after the incident.
He was ultimately caught after being handed in by his father and a local minister, rather than through direct police intervention.
On the afternoon of September 10, Robinson reportedly fired a shot from a bolt action rifle and took advantage of the resulting chaos to make his escape.
Robinson fled the scene and traveled some 250 miles south to his home in St. George, Utah, eluding capture for nearly two full days.
During the time he was at large, Robinson communicated with friends on Discord, openly confessing to being the shooter, and exchanged messages with his transgender partner, discussing details about the murder weapon and the attack.
Now facing capital murder charges and the potential for the death penalty, The Daily Mail has outlined what is known about the alleged perpetrator’s actions.
Robinson is said to have entered a parking lot and then made his way up a set of stairs, where he was caught on surveillance cameras, seen here
September 10 – 8:29 am – Mountain Time
Robinson arrived at Utah Valley Campus in a grey Dodge Challenger, almost four hours before the shooting took place. There is then a three-hour gap in his movements.
September 10 – 11:50 am
He is seen crossing a grassy area and into a parking lot near the campus, footage obtained by TMZ showed a person in black near where he was spotted.
September 10 – 11:53 am
Robinson enters the parking lot and makes his way up a set of stairs, where he was caught on surveillance cameras.
September 10 – 12:02 pm
Authorities say that Robinson was then spotted walking with a noticeable limp near the Losee Center.
September 10 – 12:15 pm
His arrest affidavit indicates he then climbed a set of stair towards the roof of the center.
September 10 – 12:17 pm
After making his way onto the roof, he then climbed over a short wall and crouched behind it on the north side of the roof.
September 10 – 12:22 pm
Robinson then stood up and high tailed it towards the west side of the roof and laid down facing towards the courtyard where Kirk was addressing the crowd.
September 10 – 12:23 pm
A single .30-06 round from a Mauser Model 98 is fired from the roof and hits Kirk in the neck, fatally wounding him.
At 12:23 pm, seconds after Kirk was shot, authorities say they caught Robinson jumping from the roof of the building
George Zinn was arrested at the scene and dragged away after falsely claiming he was responsible for killing Kirk
At the same time, surveillance cameras picked up the suspect running north back over the roof.
Once at the edge, investigators say Robinson dropped down onto the grass below and headed north on foot towards a parking lot.
September 10 – 12:24 pm
The affidavit says Robinson was then seen running across Campus Drive Road and ‘appeared to be carrying an item’.
He made his way towards a grassy area with trees, where investigators say they recovered the weapon used to kill Kirk wrapped up in a towel.
The aftermath
Immediately after the shooting, Robinson is said to have conversed with his transgender partner Lance Twiggs and seemingly confessed to the killing.
The timing of those texts and how Robinson managed to travel some 250 miles from Orem, where Kirk was gunned down, to his apartment in St. George remain unclear.
September 10 – 1:09 pm
The FBI’s Salt Lake City Office make their first post to social media saying they are aware of the shooting.
September 10 – 4:21 pm
The embattled director of the bureau Kash Patel jumps the gun, saying in a post that the suspect had been caught – but they had the wrong person.
George Zinn was arrested at the scene and dragged away after falsely claiming he was responsible for killing Kirk.
September 10 – 5:59 pm
Patel sheepishly back tracks saying that Zinn was released from custody. After that, the hunt for the suspect went cold.
At 12:23 pm, a single .30-06 round from a Mauser Model 98 was fired from the roof of the Losee Center and hit Kirk in the neck, fatally wounding him
In the early hours of September 12 the Robinson family, aided by a minister, coaxed him into handing himself over in Washington County
September 11 – 9:58 am
The bureau released images of the main suspect and issued a reward for $100,000 for information leading to their arrest.
September 11 – 7:59 pm
The FBI release footage of the suspect jumping from the roof of the Losee Center at a press conference as they continue to ask for help.
Beau Mason, head of Utah’s Department Public Safety, said that officials had ‘no idea’ about the suspect’s identity or where he may be located.
The arrest
Unbeknownst to investigators, Robinson’s parents Matthew and Amber, from Washington, Utah, were both convinced that their son was involved.
Charging documents say that his mother had seen the photo shared by authorities and immediately thought they looked like her son.
After calling Robinson, he is said to have told her he was at home and unwell, and had been the day when Kirk was gunned down.
Investigators are seen here searching Robinson’s St George, Utah home on Friday
Still, the documents say this did nothing to quell her suspicions, and she raised her concerns with his father who agreed with her.
His father then got in touch and asked him to send him a picture of it, but Robinson never responded, the documents say.
After a phone call between the two eventually happened, Robinson laid out plans to commit suicide, his parents said they were able to convince him to meet them.
During that discussion, Robinson is said to have implied he was the shooter and said he didn’t want to go to jail so wished instead to take his own life.
When asked why he did it, he is alleged to have told his parents that ‘there is too much evil and the guy spread too much hate’.
September 12 – 4 am
The Robinson family, aided by a minister, manage to coax their son into handing himself over to police in Washington County.
According to data from the Utah County Jail, Robinson was arrested at 4 am that morning and then formally booked into the jail at 7:58 am.
His arrest brought an end to a 33-hour manhunt, with the authorities catching a lucky break.
Earlier this week he appeared in court in an anti-suicide vest and is facing seven counts, including a capital murder charge, over the killing of Kirk.
