Authorities identified a 22-year-old Utah resident as the suspect in the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, saying the man had shown a long-standing interest in firearms and allegedly fired a bolt‑action rifle from a rooftop at a college rally.
Officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, named Tyler Robinson on Friday as the alleged shooter who killed Kirk on Wednesday during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Robinson was taken into custody Thursday night in southern Utah, authorities said.
Investigators said Kirk was struck by a single bullet while speaking to a crowd and collapsed immediately. Surveillance footage released by authorities showed a figure on a roof leaping from the building and running into a nearby neighborhood after the gunfire; officials said the shot came from about 200 yards away. Authorities allege Robinson used a Mauser 98 bolt‑action rifle and recovered shell casings that investigators say bore engraved messages with anti‑fascist references.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a Friday morning news conference, said investigators had learned Robinson had become more political recently and had expressed dislike for Kirk to family members. "We got him," Cox said, calling the killing a "watershed moment" in American history and noting investigators found several markings and inscriptions on casings recovered at the scene.
A probable cause affidavit filed by prosecutors, authorities said, lists charges including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Officials said Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted. Authorities said Robinson confessed to his father and initially resisted surrender, telling his father he would rather kill himself than turn himself in, before speaking with a local youth minister who does work with the U.S. Marshals Service.
In interviews and evidence described by officials, a roommate cooperated with investigators by showing messages from the Discord platform in which the alleged shooter discussed retrieving a rifle from a drop point, hiding it in a bush and references to engraved bullets and a scope. Officials also released images of a person of interest from the manhunt wearing a black T‑shirt with a bald eagle over an American flag; authorities said footwear in some social media images of Robinson appeared to match shoes seen on the suspect in surveillance material.
Social media posts obtained by news outlets showed Robinson in family photographs and at shooting ranges from a young age. Those posts include images of him posing with a large, historical machine gun and with scoped rifles, and family photos in which a boxed "build it yourself" rifle kit appears among Christmas gifts. Robinson's parents were listed in public records as registered Republicans, and one 2017 social media image included Robinson in a Donald Trump Halloween costume, according to the material reviewed by reporters.
Robinson lived with his parents and two younger brothers in Washington, Utah, authorities said. Public records described the residence as a six‑bedroom home valued at about $600,000. Robinson attended Utah State University on a scholarship for one semester in 2021, according to people familiar with his school enrollment.
Kirk, 38, a father of two known for his conservative activism and campus events, was taken to a hospital after he was shot and later died of his injuries. He is survived by his wife, Erika Frantzve, their 3‑year‑old daughter and a 16‑month‑old son. President Donald Trump posted a statement on his social media platform expressing sympathy for Kirk's family.
Federal and local investigators said the probe remains active and asked anyone with additional information to contact authorities. Law enforcement officials did not provide a motive beyond the statements they said Robinson had made to family and in private messages, and they cautioned that investigations into planning, acquisition of the weapon and any possible assistance were ongoing.