New video footage released by media outlets and security-camera images released by investigators show a man believed to be 22-year-old Tyler Robinson walking toward Utah Valley University hours before conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot to death during a campus event, authorities said.
Police and federal investigators said the footage — obtained by TMZ and supplemented by FBI surveillance stills — shows a figure thought to be Robinson walking through a residential neighborhood in Orem at about 8 a.m. the morning of the shooting and again along the same route at 11:49 a.m., roughly 30 minutes before Kirk was struck. Officials said the clothing in the footage — a maroon shirt, black baseball cap, light-colored shorts and sneakers — matched descriptions released after the attack.
The shooting occurred midday Wednesday as Kirk, 31, addressed a large crowd on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem. Kirk, a founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator, was struck in the neck by a single bullet and died at the scene, authorities said.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Utah officials said Robinson was arrested late Thursday and is being held on suspicion of aggravated murder. Patel said DNA recovered from a towel wrapped around a rifle found near the shooting site matched Robinson and that DNA also connected him to a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where investigators say the fatal shot was fired. The FBI director told media that investigators had recovered the contents of a handwritten note that Robinson had destroyed before the shooting; Patel paraphrased the note, saying it stated Robinson felt he had an opportunity to “take out” Kirk and intended to do so.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who identified Robinson as the suspect at a Friday news conference, credited assistance from the suspect’s family in locating him. Cox said Robinson had been confronted by his father over the surveillance images and subsequently turned himself in. The governor told reporters that Robinson had been radicalized "in a fairly short amount of time," saying family members and acquaintances described him as spending large amounts of time in the "dark corners of the internet." Investigators cautioned that those accounts remain under review.
Authorities said it took about 33 hours to make the arrest after the attack. In the immediate aftermath, police and the FBI detained and later released two people who were not connected to the case, and investigators located what they described as a high-powered hunting rifle in wooded terrain near the university campus.
Officials also disclosed markings found on unused bullet casings recovered with the weapon. Authorities said one cartridge had the phrase "Hey, fascist! Catch!" written on it and another bore the words "Bella ciao," a World War II–era Italian anti-fascist song that has been repurposed in some online circles. Other casings were reportedly marked with symbols and wording investigators said appeared linked to online gaming culture. Officials did not offer a motive and said the markings remain part of an ongoing probe.
Robinson, who is from St. George, Utah, was described by people who knew him as a third-year electrician apprentice. Photographs circulated by local media showed him posing with firearms and wearing a costume in which he appears to be riding on the shoulders of former President Donald Trump. Authorities said Robinson lived with a transgender partner, who has cooperated with investigators and has not been implicated in the killing.
Patel said Robinson has not been cooperating with law enforcement since his arrest. Authorities said Robinson is expected to appear in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors are reviewing the case; Utah law permits capital punishment for certain categories of murder, and officials have said they are considering possible charges.
The shooting drew immediate national attention and prompted tributes across the country. A vigil drew mourners to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and moments of silence were observed at several professional sporting events. Kirk is survived by his wife and two young children.
Kirk helped found Turning Point USA in 2012 and became a prominent voice in conservative media, cultivating a large social-media following and frequent television appearances. The killing prompted renewed questions about security at political events and the threats faced by public figures, and investigators said they are continuing to search for additional evidence, witnesses and digital records to complete their account of the events leading up to the shooting.
Federal and local law-enforcement officials said the investigation remains active and asked anyone with additional footage or information related to the suspect's movements near the university to contact investigators. Court filings and any formal charging decisions were not immediately available Friday.