Who is Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk?
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been taken into custody and is accused of killing political activist Charlie Kirk. Here's a deeper look at who Robinson is.
Watch: ‘We got him’: 22-year-old man from Utah in custody for Charlie Kirk assassination | 2 mins
PHOENIX — The suspect accused of assassinating prominent conservative political activist and Valley resident Charlie Kirk has been taken into custody in Utah, officials announced Friday morning.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference before announcing that Tyler Robinson, 22, had been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting that happened at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday. President Donald Trump had previously announced that an alleged shooter had been taken into custody on Fox News.
Robinson was booked into jail on charges of capital murder, along with weapons and obstruction offenses, according to the Associated Press.
Who is Tyler Robinson?
Officials have not released many personal details about Robinson, other than his age and that he lives in the town of Washington in Washington County, which is in southwestern Utah, along the Utah-Arizona border.
Robinson was not a student at Utah Valley University, according to Cox.
The university is about three-and-a-half hours from Robinson’s home in Washington, where he lived with a roommate, according to authorities.
Officials were not able to release an official motive or any information about how Robinson may have been radicalized in the lead-up to Wednesday’s shooting.
However, they said his family told investigators that he had become increasingly political in recent years and that Robinson did not agree with Kirk’s viewpoints.
How was Tyler Robinson connected to assassination of Charlie Kirk?
After seeing photos of the suspect that had been released by the FBI, a member of Robinson’s family told a family friend that Robinson had either confessed or implied that he had shot Kirk. That information was later shared with investigators.
Robinson’s father also recognized his son in the FBI photos and attempted to convince Robinson to turn himself in, but Robinson initially refused before changing his mind, according to the Associated Press.
His father reached out to Robinson’s youth pastor, who has connections to the U.S. Marshals Service. The pastor called the agency so Robinson could surrender.
Investigators also spoke with a roommate, who showed them messages from the online chat app Discord involving a contact named Tyler that discussed a rifle wrapped in a towel being left in a bush, engraved bullets and a scope, according to Cox.
Police had found a Mauser .30-caliber bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near the Utah Valley University campus.
The rifle, which had a scope mounted on top, was found on the path investigators believe Robinson took after firing the single, fatal shot at Kirk from a distant roof and then fleeing.
Investigators also found engraved bullet casings from the rifle that had messages including, “Hey, fascist! Catch!”
Police believe Robinson drove a gray Dodge Challenger to the campus and then drove it back to Washington County after the assassination. His family confirmed that he drove that type of car.
How was Charlie Kirk connected to Arizona?
Kirk was the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a conservative youth action organization based in Phoenix.
The group has hosted many events in Arizona, some of which have featured President Trump.
Kirk also has owned a home in Scottsdale, which was put up for sale in 2024.
He and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, co-founded TPUSA in suburban Chicago in 2012 and used the organization to speak on college campuses and push for low taxes and limited government.
TPUSA was not an immediate success, but Kirk’s charisma and eagerness to challenge liberals in debates eventually won over an influential portion of conservative financiers.
The organization went onto endorse Trump after he became the Republican nominee for president in 2016 and Kirk became a personal aide for Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., during the general election campaign.
Kirk had since become a prominent conservative voice on cable TV and social media.
KTAR News reporter @balin_om is on the scene. He says some Charlie Kirk supporters are gathering at a street corner. pic.twitter.com/lblu0vCN0N
— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) September 11, 2025
His casket was flown aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Phoenix on Thursday, along with his family and Vice President JD Vance and close friends.
No official information has been released about a funeral for Kirk, but President Trump said Thursday he was told it would be next weekend in Arizona and that he plans to attend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Comments
33 Comments
In response to George Floyd death there was riots burning and looting across the country why..... because it fit the democrat leftist narrative.
In response to Charlie Kirks death there's been none of that.... why because it doesn't fit their narrative. Maybe cyrus the virus can enlighten us.
Having Cyrus explain anything in an intelligent manor is simply another unrealistic expectation, we're dealing with liberals after all.
Please explain what you mean by "Radicalized"
You mean like wanting affordable health care and drug cost. Or maybe wanting social security and medicare still there when we retire?