Sept. 12, 2025
By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, JESSE BEDAYN and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press
OREM, Utah (AP) — The man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk had expressed opposition to the conservative activist’s viewpoints and indicated that he was responsible for the shooting, authorities said Friday as they announced an arrest in the killing that raised fresh alarms about political violence in a deeply polarized United States.
Tyler Robinson, 22, had become “more political” in the run-up to the shooting and mentioned during a dinner with family that Kirk would be visiting Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox told a news conference. The governor cited as evidence engravings on bullet casings found in the rifle that authorities believe was used in the attack, as well as chat app messages attributed to the suspect that a roommate shared with law enforcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” Cox told a news conference soon after the arrest was first heralded by President Donald Trump on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends.”
Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the investigation is ongoing, Cox said. He was arrested on suspicion of capital murder, weapons and obstruction offenses.
Robinson’s arrest late Thursday capped a frenetic day-and-a-half search that just hours earlier seemed stuck when authorities pleaded for tips and leads from the public. The assassination captivated the public not only because of Kirk’s outsize influence in conservative political circles and his close connections with Trump but also because of the pressing questions it raised about the escalating toll of political violence that has spanned the ideological spectrum.
“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off ramp?” Cox asked, making an impassioned plea for young people to bridge differences through common ground rather than violence. “It’s a choice.”
New details on evidence
Authorities have yet to reveal a motive, but they did describe evidence they recovered they said shed potential light on the slaying.
That includes engravings on bullet casings recovered from the high-powered rifle believed used in the attack, including one that said, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” Cox said.
In addition, a roommate shared with authorities messages from the chatting app Discord that involved a contact named Tyler and discussed a rifle wrapped in a towel, engraved bullets and a scope, the governor said.
The clothes the suspect wore when confronted by law enforcement late Thursday were consistent with what he had on when he arrived on campus a day earlier, Cox said. A Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle was found in a towel in a wooded area along the path investigators believe Robinson took after firing a shot from a distant roof and then fleeing.
A breakthrough came when a Robinson family member communicated to a family friend that Robinson had confessed or implied that he was responsible, information that was then shared with law enforcement.
Robinson’s father recognized him from the photos released by the FBI and told him to turn himself in. Robinson refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
His father reached out for help to their youth pastor, who also occasionally works with the U.S. Marshals and called the agency so he could turn himself in.
Family members of Robinson did not immediately return messages seeking comment. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.
Kirk was killed by a single shot in what police said was a targeted attack and the governor called a political assassination. Kirk co-founded the nonprofit political organization Turning Point USA, based in Arizona. He had had been speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point at Utah Valley University at the time of Wednesday’s shooting.
“He wanted to help young people, and he didn’t deserve this,” Trump said Friday. “He was really a good person.”
Grisly video shared online
The attack, carried out in broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media.
The videos show Kirk, who was influential in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out. Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.
The shooter, who investigators believe blended into the campus crowd because of a college-age appearance, fired one shot from the rooftop, according to authorities. Video released Thursday showed the person then walking through the grass and across the street before disappearing.
“I can tell you this was a targeted event,” said Robert Bohls, the top FBI agent in Salt Lake City.
Trump, who was joined by Democrats in condemning the violence, said he would award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, visited with Kirk’s family Thursday in Salt Lake City. Vance posted a remembrance on X chronicling their friendship, dating back to initial messages in 2017, through Vance’s Senate run and the 2024 election.
“So much of the success we’ve had in this administration traces directly to Charlie’s ability to organize and convene,” Vance wrote. “He didn’t just help us win in 2024, he helped us staff the entire government.”
Kirk’s casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix, where his nonprofit political youth organization is based. Trump told reporters he planned to attend Kirk’s funeral. Details have not been announced.
Kirk was taking questions about gun violence
Kirk was a conservative provocateur who became a powerful political force among young Republicans and was a fixture on college campuses, where he invited sometimes-vehement debate on social issues.
One such provocative exchange played out immediately before the shooting as Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about gun violence.
The debate at the Sorensen Center on campus was billed as the first stop on Kirk’s “American Comeback Tour.”
The event generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its “commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry and constructive dialogue.”
Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit was sparking controversy. He wrote, “What’s going on in Utah?”
A message left on an American flag
On Friday, police still picked through the scene of the assassination, around to the canopy tent where Charlie Kirk had been speaking.
The seats of the amphitheater were cleared of the backpacks and belongings that attendees had left as they scattered in response to the single gunshot.
A small American flag was secured near a fountain. Someone wrote on the duct tape: “Violence is never the answer.”
Man arrested in Kirk’s killing had become ‘more political’
Family members of the young Utah man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk told authorities he had recently become “more political” and saw the ally of President Donald Trump as a person spreading hate, according to charging documents.
Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, is registered to vote but is not affiliated with a political party, according to Utah state records. He was also listed as inactive, meaning he had not voted in at least the last two general elections. His parents are both registered as Republicans.
Utah’s governor said family members told authorities that Robinson “had become more political in recent years.” Cox described a recent family dinner in which Robinson mentioned Kirk’s planned appearance. “They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said, referring to Robinson and an unnamed family member. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
▶ Read more about what authorities are saying about the suspect
Orem community finds relief after suspect’s arrest
The law enforcement presence on the Utah Valley University campus remains heavy after Tyler Robinson’s arrest.
Officers continued to sweep the campus for evidence as officials said they were building their case and preparing to file charges by early next week.
By midday Friday, the mood in the surrounding community had shifted. Residents who had been afraid to leave their homes began venturing into the neighborhood. Witnesses of the shooting said the will allow them to begin to heal.
“I feel like there’s been this like really heavy, dark weight pressed over my heart and soul for the last two days,” UVU alumnus Creighton Baird said. “It’s pure relief.”
Robinson was an electrical apprentice, living at home
Robinson attended Dixie Technical College in Southern Utah, where he was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program.
The program trains people to be electricians, lighting technicians or electrical repair specialists.
A spokeswoman for Utah Valley University, Ellen Treanor, said he had previously attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021. He also earned credit at Utah Tech University while he was in high school.
Dixie Technical College has about 1,500 students and is located in St. George, near his family’s home in Washington, Utah.
Kirk’s coworkers and friends put on his show
Charlie Kirk’s friends and coworkers are still livestreaming his podcast to honor his legacy and share messages from the conservative activist’s supporters.
Turning Point’s spokesman Andrew Kolvet and chief operating officer Tyler Bowyer also were on Friday’s show, along with conservative podcaster Jack Posobiec.
Their voices were breaking and some cried as they described how he was texting with some of them moments before he was shot. “What it was about was, what are the good arguments in favor of marriage, the Christian version of marriage,” said Blake Neff, a former writer for Tucker Carlson who traveled with Kirk.
Kirk espoused a view of marriage in which a husband is the head of a household while a wife is focused on raising children and supporting her man — as long as the man follows Scripture.
Suspect’s family home surrounded by police
There was a heavy police presence outside the suspect’s family’s house in St. George, Utah, as media arrived.
Window coverings were drawn, and a pickup truck was parked in front of the home on the street, blocking access to the driveway.
Officers routinely were warning people to stay off neighbors’ property. Both ends of the street also were blocked, confusing some motorists.
Turn away from political violence and division, Utah Gov. Cox urges
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, long an advocate for civility, made an impassioned plea on Friday for Americans and young people in particular to use the horror of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s public assassination as an inflection point to turn the country away from political violence and division.
“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox said after announcing the arrest of a suspect in Kirk’s killing. “It’s a choice.”
Throughout his political career, the two-term Republican governor has pleaded for bipartisan cooperation, at times drawing attention for his empathetic remarks.
His speech on Friday — urged an appeal to common ground and humanity to forge a better society — was markedly different from the bellicose rhetoric often employed by other politicians including Trump, who is known for provocative language and has blamed Kirk’s killing on “radical left” rhetoric.
▶ Read more about Cox’s appeal to find common ground
US military services say the suspect did not serve
Tyler Robinson has no affiliation with the military, officials from all the military services have confirmed.
Here are the charges Tyler Robinson faces in Charlie Kirk’s killing
Robinson was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. All are state felony charges and aggravated murder carries the possibility of the death penalty.
Formal charges are expected early next week.
There is no defense attorney yet listed for Robinson in court records.
State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving Robinson.
Suspect’s mother’s social media posts portray a happy family
Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to his mother’s social media posts. The family lives in a suburb of the city of St. George in southern Utah. That’s about a 3.5 hour drive south of the Utah Valley University campus where Kirk was shot.
The social media posts indicate his family was active, with photos of vacations to Disneyland, Alaska and St. Kitts and time outdoors spent fishing, zip-lining and target shooting.
___
Tucker and Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver; Michael Biesecker, Brian Slodysko, Lindsay Whitehurst and Michelle L. Price in Washington; Ty O’Neil in Orem, Utah; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Meg Kinnard in Chapin, S.C., contributed to this report.
Add comment