Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect in Custody After Family Tip Leads to Arrest

A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, is in custody as the suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The arrest, which came after a 33-hour manhunt, was a direct result of a family member alerting authorities.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced the arrest on Friday morning, stating that a family member of Robinson had reached out to a friend, who then contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with crucial information. According to Governor Cox, the family member said that Robinson “had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”

Suspect Identified as a Quiet Student with Anti-Fascist Leanings

Authorities have described Kirk’s killing as a “political assassination.” Governor Cox revealed that investigators discovered anti-fascist messages engraved on ammunition with a rifle near the site of the shooting. These messages included phrases like “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao ciao,” which appeared to reference an Italian anti-fascist song. Other engravings hinted at connections to online trolling, including one that said, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”

Public records and a university statement show that Robinson, a resident of Washington, Utah, earned a scholarship to attend Utah State University but dropped out after just one semester in 2021. Voter registration records indicate that Robinson is unaffiliated with any party and had not voted in the two most recent general elections.

However, a family member told investigators that Robinson “had become more political in recent years” and had expressed his dislike for Kirk. The family member said Robinson believed that “Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”

A Confession and the End of a Manhunt

The arrest took place around 10 p.m. Thursday night. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the arrest brought an end to a federal manhunt that involved interviewing more than 200 people and receiving over 11,000 tips from the public.

Photos from Robinson’s social media show him wearing grey Converse shoes and sunglasses that appear similar to those worn by the shooter in surveillance images released by law enforcement. Additionally, investigators reviewed Discord messages from Robinson’s roommate that referenced picking up a rifle from a “drop point” and leaving it wrapped in a towel in a bush. The bolt-action rifle and a towel were recovered from a wooded area near the campus.

The arrest of Tyler Robinson marks a critical development in a case that has sent shockwaves across the nation, putting a face to the suspect authorities believe is responsible for the politically motivated attack on Charlie Kirk.