Suspected shooter Tyler Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night for the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kirk was a conservative activist who was shot and killed on Wednesday at Utah Valley University while hosting a political event. Robinson was arrested in St. George and is currently being held at Utah county jail without bail.
A family friend and youth pastor of 22-year-old Robinson contacted Washington County Sheriff’s Office after Robinson allegedly confessed to shooting Kirk. Investigators were then able to identify and arrest the suspect.
Robinson was arrested for suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice; these charges all may be punishable by the death penalty.
Both President Donald Trump and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared confidence that they have found the shooter.
“I think with a high degree of certainty we have him in custody,” said Trump to Fox News. Gov. Cox went on to say “we got him” in a press conference on Friday. In the process of the investigation, two other suspects were arrested and later released.
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Robinson’s father recognized him from the images released by the FBI and had encouraged his son to turn himself in. He referred Robinson to the youth pastor for support.
There has been additional investigation into the motive of the assassination. At Friday’s press conference, Cox shared that Robinson’s family said he had become more political in recent years and was critical of Kirk’s politics.
Cox also said that there were three unfired bullet casings found at the scene of the crime, all with messages engraved on them. One read, “hey fascist! catch!” Another had the lyrics of an Italian folk song which holds anti-fascist meaning, “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao,” and the third read, “if you read this you are gay lmao.”
Robinson was a third-year student at Dixie Technical College in St. George, Utah. He was studying to be an electrician, although he attended one semester at Utah State University back in 2021 and acquired a college credit from Utah Tech University while in high school. His family’s home in Washington, Utah — a suburb of St. George — is a 3.5 hour drive from UVU in Orem, Utah, where the shooting occurred.
Robinson’s formal charges are expected early next week with his first court appearance expected on Tuesday.
Author: Heather Turner
Editor: Hannah Clove
Photos courtesy of Utah County Sheriff’s Office
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