Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, has been identified as the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Law enforcement sources said that Robinson was arrested late Thursday night in southern Utah, about 260 miles from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed at a rally on Wednesday.
Robinson confessed to his father, Matt, a 27-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department. A family friend was then contacted, who alerted authorities and helped secure Robinson before he could be taken into custody. His mother, Amber, works for Intermountain Support Coordination Services, a state-contracted agency providing disability care.
Among the items recovered were bullet casings from the high-powered rifle believed to have been used in the attack, one of which was engraved with the message, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” according to Governor Spencer Cox.
A roommate also provided authorities with messages from the app Discord involving a contact named Tyler, which referenced a need to retrieve a rifle from a “drop point”, a rifle wrapped in a towel, engraved bullets, and a scope. Cox added that the clothing the suspect wore when confronted by law enforcement Thursday night matched what he had on when he arrived on campus a day earlier. Investigators located a Mauser .30-caliber bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area along the path they believe Robinson took after firing a shot from a distant roof and fleeing.
Robinson was attending Utah State University on a scholarship and lived with his family in a six-bedroom home in Washington, Utah. Social media shows him with two younger brothers, often on family trips, and celebrating his college acceptance.
Officials said Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted, a punishment President Trump said he hopes Robinson receives. Trump announced the arrest on Fox News, noting that “someone very close” to the suspect had turned him in. The capture came after a manhunt that stretched more than a day and a half.
