A suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is not cooperating with investigators, Utah officials said, even as authorities continue to probe possible motives and President Donald Trump said people on the left are under "major investigation" in connection with the case.
Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested Friday in the death of the 31-year-old Kirk, who was shot at Utah Valley University earlier in the week. Authorities said Robinson confessed to his father, Matt Robinson, who then contacted police and secured his son before he could be taken into custody. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told ABC News on Sunday that the suspect "has not confessed to authorities" and "is not cooperating, but all the people around him are cooperating."
Officials say investigators are examining a range of evidence as they seek to determine what prompted the attack. Authorities reported that the bullets used in Kirk's killing bore engravings that referenced transgender and anti-fascist ideas; officials later said the markings included the phrase "Hey fascist! CATCH!", lyrics from an anti-fascist Italian song, and a sexually explicit meme reference. Gov. Cox said investigators were also reviewing a note Robinson had written.
Cox told NBC's Meet the Press that Robinson had been a student at Utah State University on a full scholarship but dropped out after less than a semester and appeared to have become radicalized online. "We also have to figure out how it came to be that a kid with a 4.0, with a 34 on the ACT, with a full-ride scholarship at my alma mater, who didn't even last a semester, drops out and ends up doing something like this," Cox said on ABC's This Week.
Cox said Robinson's family is conservative but that the suspect's ideology "was very different than his family." Law enforcement sources said Robinson had been in a relationship with his roommate, identified as Lance Twiggs, who is transgender and is cooperating with investigators. According to media reports, messages recovered by authorities included references to wrapping a rifle in a towel and stashing it near the site of the shooting.
Discord's vice president for trust and safety, Jud Hoffman, said the platform had found communications in which the roommate recounted the contents of a note the suspect had left. Cox said those materials are being processed for accuracy and verification and will be included in charging documents as appropriate.
Robinson is being held without bail in the Utah County Jail and is housed in a special unit after allegedly saying he would kill himself rather than surrender, a jail spokesperson told CBS. Prosecutors are expected to file formal murder charges on Tuesday, and Gov. Cox has said state authorities will seek the death penalty.
President Trump, who has publicly blamed left-leaning rhetoric for helping to fuel hostility toward Kirk, told reporters that "a lot of the people that you would traditionally say are on the left" are already under "major investigation" in connection with the killing. "The problem is on the left — it's not on the right as some people like to say," he said, adding that he believed leftist agitators and anti-flag rhetoric had contributed to a toxic climate.
Investigators have not announced a motive, and Cox stressed that authorities are still working to verify the contents of messages, a written note and other digital material. "Those are things that are still being processed for accuracy and verification and will be included in charging documents," he told CNN.
Turning Point USA, the conservative organization Kirk founded, announced a large-scale memorial service to be held on Sunday, Sept. 21, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The organization invited supporters to "celebrate[ ] the remarkable life and enduring legacy" of the activist; the venue has a fixed seating capacity of about 63,400 that can be expanded for larger events. Trump said earlier this week that he planned to attend the service after addressing the nation following Kirk's death.
Authorities have appealed for patience as they compile evidence, interview witnesses and prepare charging documents. Prosecutors and law enforcement officials have so far limited public comment on investigative details, and court filings and formal charges were expected to provide additional information once filed.
Kirk, a prominent conservative commentator and activist, was shot at the university earlier in the week. The case has prompted intense national attention because of Kirk's profile and the political rhetoric surrounding his death; officials have urged that investigations rely on verified evidence rather than public speculation as they work to determine who was responsible and why.