A 22-year-old man was arrested late Thursday in the killing of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, officials said, after the suspect confessed to his father and was persuaded to surrender.
Tyler Robinson was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals at about 10 p.m. local time following a 33-hour manhunt that began after Kirk was shot and killed while on stage at a debate event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. President Donald Trump announced the arrest on social media and called for the suspect to face the death penalty.
Law enforcement officials and Utah Governor Spencer Cox described how the suspect’s father, Matthew Carl Robinson, played a role in ending the search. Investigators said the suspect told his father he would rather take his own life than surrender; the father then contacted a youth pastor who is a family friend and court security officer. The pastor called U.S. Marshals, who detained the suspect.
Cox said surveillance images show the suspect arriving on the UVU campus about four hours before the shooting and that the clothing he wore when arrested matched that seen in CCTV footage. The FBI recovered an imported Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near campus. Inscribed on shell casings recovered with the rifle were the phrases "hey fascist! CATCH!" and "O Bella ciao, Bella ciao," according to Cox. "Bella ciao" is the title of an Italian song associated with anti-fascist resistance.
Investigators also spoke with a roommate who provided messages from an account named "Tyler" on the messaging app Discord that referred to retrieving a rifle from "a drop point" and leaving it in a bush wrapped in a towel. State prosecutors said they planned to file formal charges against Robinson on Tuesday. A Utah County Sheriff inmate booking sheet, obtained by the BBC, lists aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm among the alleged offenses.
Robinson, who lives in St. George, Utah, about 250 miles southwest of the UVU campus, was identified by authorities as a third-year participant in an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. Public voting records reviewed by media outlets indicate he previously registered as an unaffiliated voter; his parents are listed as registered Republicans. Officials said the family is Mormon and active in their local church.
Students and university officials described a campus under lockdown after the attack, with police tape and vehicles blocking much of the area. Several students told reporters they felt relief after the arrest. "He was apprehended in Washington County, which is where I'm from," said first-year student McKinley Shinkle. "I just feel deeply ashamed." Her cousin, Anthony, said he was "definitely relieved" and anxious to learn why the shooting occurred.
Authorities said they had interviewed a family member who told investigators the suspect had become more political in recent years and had remarked that Kirk was "full of hate and spreading hate" ahead of the event. Officials did not offer a definitive motive and said the investigation was ongoing. Cox said he was not aware of any additional arrests under consideration.
Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator and founder of the activist group Turning Point USA, was shot while participating in a debate-style event that drew students and outside attendees. The killing has prompted national attention and debate, exposing deep partisan tensions amid heightened concerns about political violence. Prosecutors and law enforcement officials said they would release more details as the investigation and charging process proceed.