‘How Family Member Turned Him In,’ details on the arrest of the 22 year-old who pulled the trigger that ended Trump ally’s 31-year life journey
US authorities said Friday they had captured the man accused of killing prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk after a family member helped to turn him in after a frantic manhunt.
“We got him,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox told a press conference.
Cox identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson and said the arrest was made after one of Robinson’s relatives contacted a friend, who then contacted the police.
The arrest raised a bitterly divided country’s hopes of finding answers to the shocking political murder on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old was killed after being hit by a single bullet in his neck while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University.
Kirk was an electrifying presence on the US far-right, with a talent for debate and a huge following that helped Trump build the youth vote in his election victory last November.
From the moment of the shooting, Trump has treated the event as a matter of top national importance.
Trump first announced that Kirk had died from his wound, and on Friday it was Trump again who took to Fox News — ahead of the press conference by law enforcement — to say that the main suspect was in custody.
The Republican president has ordered flags at half-mast and said he will attend Kirk’s funeral.
– Breakthrough in manhunt –
Authorities quickly found the alleged murder weapon, a high-powered hunting rifle, and released photos of a young man dressed in a baseball cap and casual clothing.
However, after detaining and then releasing two people who turned out to be unconnected to the case, the police and FBI appeared to struggle.
Late Thursday, officials in Orem released more details about the suspect’s clothing and initial movements after the shooting, pleading with the public to help identify him.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrest was finally made at 10:00 pm Thursday — 33 hours after the shooting.
Cox credited assistance from the alleged killer’s own family.
“On the evening of September 11th, a family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend, who contacted the Washington County sheriff’s office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident,” he said.
Students at the university on Thursday described their shock and their broader fears as political divisions deepen across the country.
Dave Sanchez told AFP witnessing the killing made him “sick to my stomach.”
“We watch him all the time and so it really does feel like one of your own family members, your own brother’s been killed,” said Sanchez, 26.
In Orem Park, several hundred people wearing red MAGA caps and holding American flags attended a vigil on Thursday evening, where they prayed and held a moment of silence.
“It still feels insane that this happened,” Jonathan Silva, 35, told AFP. “It’s totally surreal.”
22 Year old Trigger Puller: What To Know About Suspect
&Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old in custody as the suspect in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, registered to vote with no party affiliation and hadn’t cast a ballot in the two most recent elections.
But a family member told investigators that Robinson “had become more political in recent years,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press conference Friday morning – and in particular had lashed out at Kirk, the family member said.
Authorities, who have described Kirk’s killing as a “political assassination,” discovered anti-fascist messages engraved on ammunition with a rifle near the site of the shooting that hint at that political transformation, Cox said.
Those messages included one that said, “Hey fascist! Catch!” and another that appeared to reference an Italian anti-fascist song.
A social media photo shows Tyler Robinson.
A social media photo shows Tyler Robinson. Obtained by CNN
Robinson grew up in Washington, Utah, and earned a scholarship to attend Utah State University after a strong academic record in high school, but dropped out after just one semester, according to public records, social media and a university statement.
Voter registration records show that Robinson is registered to vote unaffiliated with any party, although he is also listed as an “inactive” voter, meaning he hadn’t voted in at least the most recent two general elections.
Social media photos show Robinson wearing grey Converse shoes and sunglasses that appear similar to those worn by the shooting suspect in photos released by law enforcement earlier this week.
Tyler Robinson is seen in a social media photo on the left wearing Converse shoes that appear similar to those worn by the shooting suspect in a photo released by the FBI on the right.
Tyler Robinson is seen in a social media photo on the left wearing Converse shoes that appear similar to those worn by the shooting suspect in a photo released by the FBI on the right. Obtained by CNN/FBI
Cox said at the press conference that a family member of Robinson had reached out to a family friend Thursday night, and the family friend told the Washington County Sheriff’s Office that “Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”
Robinson was taken into custody around 10 p.m. Thursday night, after a 33-hour manhunt, FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday.
Robinson’s hometown is a quiet suburb of St. George, a city in the southwest corner of the state. It’s about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was gunned down on Wednesday afternoon while holding a campus event.
Cox said that a family member of Robinson had told investigators that at a recent family dinner, Robinson had mentioned Kirk’s upcoming Utah Valley event, and “they talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”
The bolt-action rifle Robinson used and left in a wooded area near the campus had various phrases engraved on the bullet casings, Cox said, including “Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao ciao,” which appeared to reference an Italian anti-fascist song.
Other engravings hinted more at connections to online trolling and memes, including one that said, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
Robinson graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021, a spokesperson for the school confirmed. He received a resident presidential scholarship to attend Utah State University, according to a Facebook video his mother posted of him reading a letter about the award.
A spokesperson for the university said in statement Friday that Robinson “briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021.”
Kirk’s American Comeback Tour had an event scheduled at Utah State University on September 30.l0
– Seeking death penalty –
Cox said his state would pursue the death penalty against the suspect.
Trump said he would back such a move. “I hope he gets the death penalty,” he told Fox News.
Reflecting the highly political nature of the killing, Kirk’s coffin was transported to his home city of Phoenix on Vice President JD Vance’s official plane.
Footage showed Vance with his hands on the casket as it was carried to Air Force 2.
Kirk, whom supporters have hailed as a “martyr,” co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, with his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.
The father-of-two used his audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.
AFP