Charlie Kirk's Shooter Arrested: Utah Gov. Pleads For End To Finger Pointing, Trump Blames 'Radical Left'
Plus: How 2000s Pop Culture Turned Millennial Women Against Themselves
The suspect accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is in custody.
Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, was arrested late Thursday night in connection with Kirk’s fatal shooting.
President Trump first announced the arrest Friday morning during a Fox News appearance. A press conference with Utah and FBI officials followed.
Robinson was taken into custody around 11 p.m. local time Thursday in St. George — about 250 miles from the campus where Kirk was killed — after reportedly confessing to a family member, who called a friend who ultimately contacted police.
POSSIBLE MOTIVE
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said Friday that Robinson’s family reported he had recently become increasingly political and expressed hatred for Kirk’s views.
Authorities found bullet casings that read: “hey fascist! catch!,” “bella ciao,” and "if you read this, you are gay, LMAO." (Bella Ciao is an Italian anti-fascist resistance song)
His roommate shared Discord messages, where Robinson discussed retrieving and stashing a rifle, changing clothes, and engraving bullet casings.
Surveillance footage from Utah Valley University showed Robinson arriving in a gray Dodge Challenger at 8:29 a.m. on the day of the shooting. When approached Thursday, police said he was wearing clothes matching the footage.
He was not a student at Utah Valley University, where the shooting occurred, but had gone to Utah State University for one semester in 2021. He was recently in an electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.
He does not appear to have a criminal history, and public records show he did not declare a political party when he last registered to vote in July 2021. His registration was marked “inactive,” suggesting he did not vote in the November presidential election — the first since he turned 18.
"History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country. But every single one of us gets to choose right now if this is a turning point for us." — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
