Police arrest man accused in Charlie Kirk assassination

Police have arrested a 22-year-old man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University, officials announced Sept. 12. 

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen — we got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said at a Sept. 12 morning press conference.

Authorities identified the suspect as Utah resident Tyler Robinson. Cox said Robinson came to police attention after a relative confided to a family friend — who then alerted authorities — that Robinson had confessed, or at least implied, he carried out the attack.

The governor added that a family member described Robinson as increasingly political in recent years. One relative recalled a dinner before Sept. 10 in which Robinson mentioned Kirk’s upcoming campus appearance and denounced the conservative leader, Cox said. 

Robinson and another family member “talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox explained. “The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate.”

Police recovered the murder weapon — a Mauser bolt-action rifle — along with cartridges inscribed with messages, the Republican governor said. The fired casing read: "notices, bulges, OWO, what's this?"

Three unfired rounds also carried inscriptions, Cox said. One read, "Hey fascists! Catch!" with an up arrow, a right arrow, and three down arrows.

The second said, "Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao,” and the third, "If you read this, you are gay LMAO."

NewsNation reported that facial recognition technology helped identify Robinson, while surveillance video showed him carrying items later recovered from his possession by police. 

Officials believe Robinson acted alone, but the investigation is ongoing, Cox said. 

Near the end of the press conference, the governor grew emotional as he quoted words Kirk had shared prior to his death, urging forgiveness: “‘The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive, welcome without judgment, love without condition, forgive without limit.’”

He quoted a post in which Kirk told followers that “when things are moving very fast and people are losing their minds,” they should turn off their phones, read Scripture, spend time with friends, and “remember internet fury is not real life.”

Earlier Sept. 12, President Donald Trump confirmed on “Fox & Friends” that a suspect was in custody and called for the death penalty if the assassin is convicted. He credited the suspect’s father for helping law enforcement find Robinson. 

Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father of two, was shot and killed before a crowd of about 3,000 people. Tributes have poured in from across the country, including from Catholic bishops, dozens of public figures, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance. 

The FBI had announced Sept. 11 that it recovered the murder weapon and released images of a “person of interest,” offering up to $100,000 for information leading to an arrest.