Suspect in assassination of Charlie Kirk arrested on suspicion of capital murder, weapons and obstruction offenses

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.”

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 a probable cause statement.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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

Tyler Robinson has no affiliation with the military, officials from all the military services have confirmed.

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.

State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving Robinson.

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.

Robinson’s father recognized him from images released by authorities and encouraged him to turn himself in, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

He refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

His father reached out for help to a youth pastor, who helped Robinson turn himself in.

Tyler James Robinson was admitted to Utah State University on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. A university spokesperson says he attended for only one semester in 2021.

Utah state records say Robinson was registered as a voter but not affiliated with either political party.

“We took a big step this morning in getting justice for Charlie, and for his family. Thanks be to God for that,” JD Vance wrote in a social post thanking Utah officials and the FBI for their efforts.

Cox was referencing the rapid spread of graphic video of Kirk’s fatal shooting, along with the recent release of video a deadly stabbing on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He said Americans aren’t used to seeing such graphic imagery. He encouraged people to step away from their devices and spend time with family instead.

“This is not good for us. It is not good to consume,” the Utah governor said. “Social media is a cancer on our society right now.”

The first FBI agents arrived on the scene at Utah Valley University some 16 minutes after Kirk was shot on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said at the news conference.

The bureau released the first photos of the suspect on Thursday morning, followed by the announcement of a cash reward and then the release of video of the suspect climbing down from the roof of a campus building and running away.

“Just last night, the suspect was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time,” Patel announced.

Cox said some people have asked why there have been so many resources dedicated to investigating Kirk’s killing when there’s violence around the country, but the governor said it is “much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us.”

The Republican said Kirk’s killing is “an attack on the American experiment” and values, and “cuts to the very foundation of who we are.”

Bullet casings discovered by investigators had several inscriptions engraved on them, Cox said. The casing that had been fired read: “notices bulges OWO what’s this?”

• Cox said there were three unfired casings:
• One read, “hey fascist! catch!” with an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols.
• Another one read: “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao,” Cox said.
• The third fired casing read: “if you read this you are gay lmao.”

Cox opened a news conference on the latest developments in Kirk’s assassination with that statement.

Near the end of his Fox interview, Trump said he’d been holding a meeting about building the new White House ballroom when his aides interrupted.

“They came in and they said, ‘Charlie Kirk is dead.’ I didn’t know what they meant. I said, ‘What do you mean, dead?’” Trump said.

”‘Charlie Kirk was shot.’ And they thought it was dead because it was so horrific.”

Trump said he swiftly ended his meeting. “I just told these people, “Get out, you gotta go.”

The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Authorities have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

“You have to go forward,” the president said when asked about appearances getting cancelled after Kirk’s assassination.

State and federal officials in Utah have delayed the start of their news conference on the investigation until 9:30 a.m. ET.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls are expected to attend.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the suspect in the Charlie Kirk killing has been captured.

“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump announced in a live interview on Fox News Channel on Friday morning.

Trump said a minister who is also involved with law enforcement turned in the suspect to authorities.

“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” Trump said.

“I didn’t want to remember Charlie that way,” Trump said in an interview on Fox & Friends.

Graphic video of the shooting in Utah has circulated widely online.

The president is beginning his day in New York City with an in-studio appearance on Fox and Friends.

The live interview started at 8 a.m. ET.

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