Updated September 12, 2025 at 10:41 AM EDT
The suspect in the fatal shooting of right-wing activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University is in custody, state and federal officials confirmed Friday morning.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox opened a press briefing by saying: "We got him." He named the suspect as Tyler Robinson and said he was turned in to authorities on Thursday night by family after making statements that suggested he was responsible for Kirk's death.
Cox said investigators interviewed Robinson's relatives, who painted a picture of a young man who had become "more political" in recent years and expressed disparaging views of Kirk at a mealtime conversation ahead of his campus visit to Utah.
Investigators said Robinson's roommate showed them messages between them, in which Robinson allegedly referenced retrieving a rifle from a drop point and wrapping a rifle in a towel, as well as changing outfits. Cox said he was seen on video footage arriving at Utah Valley University on Wednesday morning, wearing a different outfit than the one in the photos released by the FBI on Thursday.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time, less than 36 hours after the shooting. In their press conference, officials confirmed Trump's comments from a TV appearance earlier that morning.
"I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody," Trump told Fox & Friends, saying he had learned the news shortly before going on set but is "always subject to be corrected."
Trump told the show that a minister recognized the unidentified suspect from the photos released to the public, and went to his father. The father "convinced the son," Trump said, and took him to a friend who happened to be a U.S. Marshal, to turn him in.
"I hope he's going to be found guilty, I would imagine, and I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump added.
On Thursday, authorities shared photos of a person they believe is the killer and recovered a high-powered rifle in their search. They also released video of a person of interest jumping down from a roof where the shot was fired on the campus, where Kirk was speaking, before the suspect fled into the woods.
Authorities have given no indication they know the gunman's identity.
In the video, narrated by Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, the suspected shooter runs across the roof of a building, lowers himself over the edge and then drops to the ground. He then runs across a parking lot, crosses a street and heads into a wooded area. That area is where authorities recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle. There is no weapon immediately visible in the video.
Authorities also showed several still images of the person of interest that were far sharper than the two photos released by the FBI earlier in the day. The photos show a man dressed in black pants, a black T-shirt featuring a U.S. flag and a bald eagle, dark Converse sneakers as well as a black backpack. He also had on sunglasses and a dark baseball cap with a triangle on it.
"We are truly hopeful that this video and new photos will lead to even more tips," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at the briefing.
Law enforcement has received more than 7,000 leads and tips from the public, Cox said, noting that the FBI said it hasn't received this many digital media tips from the public since the Boston Marathon bombing.
He said authorities have completed nearly 200 interviews in the course of the investigation so far. The agency is directing people to its digital tip line, and offering a reward of up to $100,000 for "information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible" for Kirk's death.
The governor also warned of "a tremendous amount of disinformation" on social media.
Cox also said the state of Utah is preparing affidavits to pursue the death penalty against whoever killed Kirk. FBI Director Kash Patel was among those present onstage but did not speak during the briefing.
Kirk, the 31-year-old CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot at the university in Orem, Utah, on the first stop of his American Comeback Tour. President Trump announced his death and ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff through Sunday in mourning.
Kirk, a close Trump ally, is credited with energizing young Republicans and helping them deliver his electoral victory in 2024. His death has drawn condolences — and condemnation of political violence — from both sides of the aisle.
The Utah Department of Public Safety said the shooting is "believed to be a targeted attack," though the identity and motive of the shooter are still unknown.
We are asking for the public's help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
— FBI Salt Lake City (@FBISaltLakeCity) September 11, 2025
1-800-CALL-FBI
Digital media tips: https://t.co/K7maX81TjJ pic.twitter.com/ALuVkTXuDc
Officials from the FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety said at a Thursday morning press conference that investigators working overnight were able to track the movements of the suspect before and after the shooting, and found a rifle in a wooded area nearby that has since been secured.
"[I] can't overstate the tragedy and horrific event that yesterday was, and how we will work to bring to justice the actions of one individual or any other individuals that assisted in that," said Beau Mason, the commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. He added that efforts are being made to return Kirk's body to his family on Thursday.
Kirk's casket was flown to Arizona Thursday evening on Air Force Two, with Kirk's widow, Erika, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance onboard.
The vice president — who mourned the father of two as a "great family man" and "true friend" in a lengthy tribute on X — was originally slated to attend a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony in New York City.
While attending a separate Sept. 11 ceremony at the Pentagon, Trump said he plans to posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Trump called Kirk "a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions."
Here's what else we know about Kirk's killing and the search for the suspect.
Kirk had only been speaking for a few minutes
The university confirmed Kirk was shot at 12:10 p.m. local time, 10 minutes after the student-sponsored event started. A shot is believed to have been fired from the roof of a building about 150 yards away from Kirk, it said.
"He was hit and taken from the location by his security," it said.
Police cleared people from the campus as it closed down. One of those people was Emma Pitts, a staff writer with Salt Lake City-based Deseret News.
Pitts told NPR the atmosphere at the outdoor event was pleasant before the shooting, with a handful of people protesting, and someone waving a Pride flag from the balcony.
"There were so many college students. Everyone just seemed so happy to have Kirk there," she said.
About 3,000 people were in the crowd, university police said. The Utah Department of Public Safety said university police had six officers working the event, in addition to Kirk's own security detail. Pitts said there was no bag screening process for ticketholders as they filed into the courtyard.
Kirk was answering an audience member's question about mass shootings and gun violence when the shot was fired. Graphic videos circulating on social media show Kirk — sitting in a chair under a tent with signs reading "The American Comeback" and "Prove Me Wrong" — holding a microphone when he suddenly appears to grab his neck and slump out of his chair.
Pitts reported that after the shot rang out, she saw "so much blood" coming from Kirk's neck, and said he "went limp." Attendees ducked down soon after, she said.
"The amount of blood I saw immediately, I just don't see how someone would survive from that, and it's a tragedy," she said.
The university will be closed through Sunday.
"We are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Charlie Kirk, a guest to our campus," a statement from the university said. "Our hearts go out to his family."
How the search for the suspect unfolded
Authorities took two individuals into custody in the hours after the shooting, but released both. Utah Valley University police later charged one of them with obstruction.
Mason with Utah's Department of Public Safety said law enforcement had made breakthroughs on Wednesday night, homing in on a suspect who appears to be of college age and "blended in well with a college institution."
He said the suspect arrived on campus at 11:52 a.m., and that investigators have tracked his movements through stairwells, up to the roof and "across the roof to a shooting location." After the shooting, he said, the suspect jumped off the roof and fled campus to a nearby neighborhood.
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Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge, said investigators recovered the suspected murder weapon — a "high-powered, bolt action rifle" in a wooded area where the shooter had fled, as well as a footwear impression, palmprint and forearm impression.
He said it is not clear how far the suspect had fled, but did not believe the community was in danger.
Authorities turned to the public for help identifying the suspect, with the FBI directing people to its digital tip line, and offering a reward of up to $100,000 for "information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible" for Kirk's death.
The agency released series of photos and videos on Thursday.
First it shared blurry pictures of a man dressed in black pants, a black T-shirt featuring a U.S. flag and a bald eagle, dark Converse sneakers as well as a black backpack. He also had on sunglasses and a dark baseball cap with a triangle on it. Later they released clearer photos of that man, as well as video of what they described as a person of interest.
In the video, narrated by Mason, the suspected shooter runs across the roof of a building, lowers himself over the edge and then drops to the ground. He then runs across a parking lot, crosses a street and heads into a wooded area. There is no weapon immediately visible in the video.
"We are truly hopeful that this video and new photos will lead to even more tips," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters.
Law enforcement had received more than 7,000 leads and tips from the public at that point, Cox said, noting that the FBI said it had not received this many digital media tips from the public since the Boston Marathon bombing. He said authorities had completed nearly 200 interviews in the course of the investigation so far.
Condolences and condemnations pour in
Politicians and public figures are condemning Kirk's killing, even those on the left who say they vehemently disagreed with his views. An advocate for free speech and limited government, Kirk also used his sizable platform to spread falsehoods and conspiracy theories about topics including climate change, vaccines, transgender people and demographic change.
Former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton — as well as the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation — issued statements condemning such an act of violence on a college campus.
Trump posted a four-minute video from the Oval Office expressing his "grief and anger" at the "heinous assassination" of his conservative ally.
He blamed the media and the political left for the violence, which he said included the assassination attempt against himself in Butler, Pa., during the 2024 campaign.
"It's long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible," Trump said.
Trump did not include any examples of political violence against Democrats. Those include the June attack in Minnesota that killed a state lawmaker as well as her husband and dog, and left another lawmaker wounded, and the arson attack at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's residence in April.
"We've had political assassinations recently in Minnesota, we had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania and we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate ... and now-president of the United States," Cox, a Republican, said at his press conference. "Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken."
An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released in July found that 73% of Americans see politically motivated violence as a major problem, with little difference between political parties.
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