Charlie Kirk killing: How Tyler Robinson’s father and pastor worked to get him to turn himself in
Officials in Utah on Friday morning announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a college campus event earlier this week.
Robinson is believed to have held deep disdain for the conservative activist's provocative viewpoints and indicated to a family member that he was responsible for the shooting, the Associated Press reported.
The arrest came after an intensive, day-and-a-half-long manhunt . Robinson lived in Washington, Utah, a suburb of St. George, roughly 3.5 hours away from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon.
How was Robinson identified as a suspect?
Robinson's father recognized him from the photos released by the FBI and told him to turn himself in. Robinson refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
His father reached out for help to their youth pastor, who also occasionally works with the U.S. Marshals and called the agency so he could turn himself in.
When investigators encountered Robinson Friday morning, he was wearing clothes "consistent with" those seen of the shooter on surveillance video at the university, according to Cox.
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, all felonies, according to an affidavit filed in court and released Friday. A judge ordered that he be held without bail.
State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving him.
Cox said investigators found messages inscribed on bullets left in a rifle recovered near the scene of the shooting, as well as on the casing of the bullet used to shoot Kirk.
The casing for the fired round read, "Notices bulges OWO what's this?" The first of the three unfired casings read "hey fascist! catch!," followed by an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols. The remaining two read, "oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, cao," and "if you read this you are gay LMAO," according to Cox.
Robinson's background
An unnamed family member told investigators that Robinson had become "more political" in recent years. A friend of Robinson's showed investigators a series of messages stating a "need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point."
In the days before the shooting, Robinson mentioned Kirk's forthcoming appearance in Utah.
Robinson is registered to vote but is not affiliated with a political party, according to Utah state records. He was also listed as inactive, meaning he had not voted in at least the last two general elections.
Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts. His listed address in charging documents is the six-bedroom home of his parents, who own a granite countertop business and are registered to vote as Republicans.
An honor roll student in high school who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, he was admitted to Utah State in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member's social media account. He attended for only one semester, according to a university spokesperson.
Robinson is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.
Social media posts by Robinson's mother reflect an active family with vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Alaska. They frequently spent time outdoors — boating, fishing, riding ATVs, zip-lining and target shooting. A 2017 post shows the family visiting a military facility and posing with assault rifles. A young Robinson is shown smiling as he grips the handles of a 50-caliber heavy machine gun.
After graduating from high school in 2021, Robinson's mother praised her eldest son for his smarts and academic success on her social media page, and both his parents helped him move into his dorm at Utah State that fall. She didn't have any public Facebook posts after 2022.
The shooting
The attack, carried out in broad daylight as Kirk spoke about social issues, was captured on grisly videos that spread on social media .
The videos show Kirk, who was influential in rallying young Republican voters, speaking into a handheld microphone when suddenly a shot rings out. Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators gasp and scream before people start running away.
Kirk was a conservative provocateur who became a powerful political force among young Republicans and was a fixture on college campuses, where he invited sometimes-vehement debate on social issues.
One such provocative exchange played out immediately before the shooting as Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about gun violence .
The debate hosted by Turning Point at the Sorensen Center on campus was billed as the first stop on Kirk's "American Comeback Tour."
The event generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its "commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry and constructive dialogue."
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