Authorities Arrest Suspect in Death of Charlie Kirk
Police arrested a suspect in the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Thursday evening, roughly 33 hours after the initial incident.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said in a press conference on Friday morning that that the suspect in custody is Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah. Robinson is charged with suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. A judge ordered Robinson be held in custody without bail, The New York Times reported.
Cox said that one of the suspect’s family members reached out to a friend, who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office Thursday evening with information that Robinson had confessed or implied he was the gunman in the attack on Kirk, NPR reported. The suspect was arrested at 10:00 p.m. that same evening.
In the press conference, Cox called for restraint and forgiveness, rather than retribution or further violence.
“We can return violence with fire and violence. We can return hate with hate. And that's the problem with political violence, is it metastasizes, because we can always point the finger at the other side, and at some point we have to find an off-ramp, or it's going to get much, much worse. These are choices that we can make,” he said.
Cox reflected on Kirk’s past statements about continuing to converse with people who disagree with you, to forgive enemies, and to build a less rage-fueled political system.
“History will dictate if this is a turning point for our country. But every single one of us gets to choose right now,” Cox said.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered in a sniper-style shooting while taking part in an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in Oren, Utah, on 10 September. Here's what we know about the incident: https://t.co/yKJEfd7R3M
— Security Management (@SecMgmtMag) September 11, 2025
Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday to kick-off a national tour on college campuses when a gunman opened fire, killing him. Authorities immediately launched a massive manhunt to find the suspect, who had fled the scene.
Investigators later recovered a firearm they believed to have been used in the shooting, along with unfired cartridges nearby with engraved messages about anti-fascism and online culture.
Cox said in the press conference that a family member’s friend then tipped off law enforcement that at a recent family dinner prior to the shooting, Robinson had discussed Kirk’s upcoming appearance at Utah Valley University and said that Kirk was engaged in spreading hate.
Authorities have not released a motive for the targeted act of violence that killed Kirk. They do believe that the suspect acted alone. Cox said that prosecutors would seek the death penalty in the case against the suspect.
