Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Identified as 22-Year-Old Tyler Robinson

The suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah, according to the Associated Press.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said as he addressed journalists Friday morning at a press conference. The governor said that Robinson had indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting, which led to his arrest. The alleged shooter is currently booked at the Utah County Jail and was taken into police custody in Washington County, where he was living his family, at 10 p.m. local time on Thursday night. Though the investigation is ongoing, it is expected that the suspect will be officially charged soon, Gov. Cox said.

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FBI director Kash Patel said during the press conference that by identifying a suspect in just 33 hours, they had made “historic progress for Charlie.” He added that forensic evidence continues to be evaluated and that as of Friday morning, the FBI had received over 11,000 leads, all of which will be “run out.”

“Lastly, to my friend Charlie Kirk, rest now brother,” Patel concluded. “We have the watch, and I’ll see you in Valhalla.”

The governor also confirmed that Robinson was not a student at Utah Valley University, where the shooting took place. According to Gov. Cox, the family friend who helped turn him in said Robinson had become “more political” in recent years and had expressed his dislike for Kirk just days before the shooting. The police also spoke with Robinson’s roommate, who showed the authorities messages on Discord involving retrieving a rifle from a drop point and leaving said rifle in a bush wrapped in a towel. The governor then shared what was inscribed on the bullet casing Robinson fired: “Notices bulges OWO what’s this?” Phrases on three unfired casings included “Hey, fascist! Catch!,” “If you read this you are gay lmao” and “Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao.”

Gov. Cox said he “absolutely” believes that this is a watershed moment in American history. “The question is, what kind of watershed?” he said. “And that chapter remains to be written. Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history, or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?”

The governor added: “Social media is a cancer on our society right now, and I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.”

Earlier on Friday morning, President Donald Trump announced on “Fox & Friends” that a suspect had been taken into custody, saying: “With a high degree of certainty, we have him.” He added that a minister who had relations to law enforcement identified the alleged killer, which then led to his father getting involved and the suspect being turned into the police. “Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” he said.

The news comes after authorities took two prior suspects into custody. Shortly after the shooting, the police had taken in one suspect, who authorities then determined was not actually the shooter, per a university spokesman. Two hours later, Patel announced on social media that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” In a press conference minutes later, Gov. Cox affirmed that “the person of interest is in custody,” though he declined to share details about the suspect. However, the second suspect was released from custody roughly two hours later.

At Gov. Cox’s press conference, he also stated that, “At this point, there is no information that would lead us to believe that there is a second person involved” in the shooting.

Kirk, a co-founder of the nonprofit Turning Point USA that worked to mobilize the youth vote for Trump, was shot Wednesday afternoon during a debate event held at Utah Valley University. A bullet penetrated his neck as he debated a student about mass shootings in the United States. Graphic videos of the incident circulated on social media in the hours after the incident. Kirk was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

President Trump announced Kirk’s death on his social media platform Truth Social, writing that “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”