Tyler Robinson Arrested for Assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah

Utah authorities on Friday announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with the assassination of right-wing activist and Charlie Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump, who was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

Governor Spencer Cox confirmed at a press conference that Robinson had expressed deep hostility toward Kirk’s political views and even hinted to a family member that he was behind the attack. Authorities linked him to the crime through engraved bullet casings with anti-fascist slogans and chat messages retrieved from a roommate, which allegedly referenced the rifle used in the shooting.

Cox credited Robinson’s family for encouraging him to surrender after recognizing him in FBI-released photos. Robinson initially resisted but later agreed to turn himself in through a youth pastor connected to U.S. Marshals. He was booked on charges of capital murder, weapons offenses, and obstruction, and is expected to face formal charges on Tuesday.

Kirk’s widow, Erika, delivered an emotional statement Friday night, vowing to continue her late husband’s work and thanking Trump for his support. “You have no idea the fire you’ve ignited within this wife,” she said.

Investigators revealed that Robinson fired a single shot from a rooftop about 200 yards away using a Mauser .30-caliber bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel, later recovered along his escape path. Surveillance footage showed him arriving on campus in a gray Dodge Challenger. He reportedly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021 and is now enrolled in an electrical apprenticeship program near St. George. He has no known criminal history.

Classes at Utah Valley University are set to resume Wednesday under heightened security. Meanwhile, Trump announced that Kirk would be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a good man who wanted to help young people.”