Mugshot of Charlie Kirk suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, is revealed after dad turned him in and ‘sick plot messages found’

THE man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University has been arrested and thrown behind bars.

Suspect Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested on Thursday night after his dad turned him in, ending the manhunt following the shooting.

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Alleged assassin Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested on Thursday nightCredit: Utah County Jail

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Kirk speaking to the crowd before he was shot on WednesdayCredit: AP

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Police said Robinson confessed to his dad, Matt, that he shot Charlie KirkCredit: Facebook

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Footage released by the FBI shows a person of interest running on the UVU lawn after Kirk was assassinatedCredit: Getty
Robinson, a Utah resident, is accused of firing a single shot that struck Kirk, 31, in the neck and killed him during a speaking event at the university in Orem on Wednesday afternoon.

“We got him,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox said at a press briefing on Friday morning.

Robinson confessed that he’s the shooter to his dad, who told a family friend, who called law enforcement to the scene on Thursday night, Cox said.

SICK MESSAGES FOUND

Police said they obtained messages on Discord that showed Robinson appearing to plot the assassination.

Cox said officials interviewed Robinson’s roommate, who showed investigators worrying messages on the app about the suspect saying he needed to get the rifle after he left it in a bush.

Discord clarified in a statement that they found no evidence of Robinson promoting violence or planning Kirk’s assassination on the platform.

What we know so far:

Suspected assassin Tyler Robinson has been taken into custody after a sweeping manhunt
He was turned in after he confessed to his dad
Chilling footage shows the suspect fleeing after the shooting
Pictures and video released by the FBI show a person of interest wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and sunglasses
The student speaking to Kirk as he died broke his silence
Charlie Kirk’s body was taken back to his hometown in Arizona
Kirk’s widow, Erika, was seen for the first time since his death
Two people previously taken into custody were released, including an elderly man hauled from the scene in handcuffs
The FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information
Utah’s governor said officials will seek the death penalty for the shooter
Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Medal of Freedom

“In the course of our investigation, we identified a Discord account associated with the suspect, but have found no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord,” a Discord spokesperson said in a statement to The U.S. Sun.

“The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages.”

The statement clarified, “These were communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting, where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere.”

The roommate showed police messages about Robinson saying he changed clothes to escape the cops, Cox said.

Chilling video shows Charlie Kirk ‘assassin’s sniper nest’ as murder weapon found ‘loaded with pro-trans & antifa messages’
Robinson also reportedly wrote about wrapping the rifle in a towel and leaving it at a drop point.

While police believe Robinson acted alone, they’re also probing the possibility that he had an accomplice after a video emerged of him allegedly speaking on the phone to someone about the killing.

Cox confirmed that engraved messages were found on the bullet casings belonging to Robinson.

Some of the inscriptions included the messages “hey fascist, catch” and “if you read this, you are gay,” Cox said.

Writing found on Tyler Robinson’s ammunition

Utah Governor Spencer Cox read out a list of messages that were found engraved on suspect Tyler Robinson’s bullet casings. The words seem to reference online gaming culture and antifascist ideology. Below are some of the inscriptions that have been revealed and their possible meanings:

“‘Hey fascist! Catch!’ followed by up arrow, right arrow, and three down arrow symbols” – controller button instructions to release a bomb in the video game Helldivers.
“Bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao” – lyrics from an Italian song used as a rally cry for anti-fascist resistance fighters during WWII.
“If you read this you are gay LMAO” – LMAO stands for laughing my ass off.
“Notices bulges OWO what’s this?” – an internet meme used by gamers referencing furries and animated videos.

The cartridges were found next to the gun that officials say was used to kill Charlie Kirk.

One of the writings had the lyrics to the Italian folk song “Bella Ciao.”

WHO IS TYLER ROBINSON?

Robinson’s family told police that sometime before the pro-gun activist’s assassination, the suspect spoke about his dislike for Kirk during a family dinner, Cox said.

The suspect reportedly criticized Kirk for having hateful views.

The family member said Robinson had become more political in recent years.

Robinson’s grandmother, Debbie Robinson, was in disbelief that her grandson could have pulled the trigger, the Daily Mail reported.

“There is no way that he could have done anything like that,” Debbie told the outlet.

“I would cross my heart and promise that there was absolutely no way. He has never, ever gotten in trouble in his life. He’s just a very shy, good kid.”

Debbie claimed she never knew her grandson to be interested in guns, despite multiple pictures from his mom’s Facebook showing him holding guns.

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Robinson posing with a massive gun in a picture posted to his mom’s FacebookCredit: Facebook

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Pictures published by the New York Post appear to show the rifle used to kill KirkCredit: New York Post

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Robinson shown in a picture on his mom’s Facebook pageCredit: Facebook
His mom’s social media posts also revealed an eerie video of Robinson reading out a presidential scholarship he won to Utah State University when he graduated high school in 2021.

The alleged killer attended one semester of USU before dropping out, the school confirmed in a statement. He never attended UVU, where the assassination occurred.

He is currently listed as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George, the school confirmed in a statement.

Despite speculation rising about Robinson’s potential political motivations for the alleged assassinations, his political beliefs are still up in the air.

Voter records show Robinson registered as a nonpartisan voter in the past, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Both of his parents are registered as Republicans.

His motive hasn’t explicitly been released.

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Robinson’s dad recognized his son in the footage released by the FBI and confronted him on Thursday, the New York Post reported.

The outlet reported that Robinson owned up to the crime, but resisted turning himself in to the police and threatened to kill himself.

But then his family, who are reportedly devout Mormons, got their church involved.

His father convinced his son to speak with their youth minister, who is reportedly a US Marshal Service fugitive task force officer.

The minister then called the cops.

SUSPECT’S ARREST

Officers took Robinson into custody at around 10 pm on Thursday in St. George near Zion National Park, about 250 miles southwest of the campus where Kirk was assassinated.

He was arrested on charges of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury, and obstruction of justice, the police affidavit said.

Cops said at a press conference on Thursday night that Robinson will face the death penalty if convicted.

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Robinson was booked into the Utah County JailCredit: Reuters

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Robinson in between his mom and his dad on an airplaneCredit: Facebook

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The suspect was shown in a black shirt, baseball cap, and sunglassesCredit: Alamy
President Donald Trump announced the arrest in an appearance on Fox News on Friday morning.

“I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump said.

Trump said a minister who is involved with law enforcement spoke with Robinson’s dad, Matt, and was able to turn him in to the police.

Social media accounts appearing to be associated with Robinson and his family show a happy family with three sons.

The pictures show the family on vacation, Robinson graduating high school, and pictures of him posing with guns.

One image on his mom’s Facebook page even showed Robinson dressing as Trump for Halloween in 2017.

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The person of interest was shown in pictures released by the FBICredit: FBI Salt Lake City

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Robinson dressed as Trump for Halloween in 2017, his mom’s Facebook post showedCredit: Facebook

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Robinson, who is accused of shooting Kirk to deathCredit: Facebook

MANHUNT CLUES

After the shooting, cops recovered the rifle used to kill Kirk, along with video footage showing the suspect, and more evidence pointing to his identity.

The person of interest was seen publicly for the first time in pictures released by the FBI. The images showed him appearing to climb a stairwell.

Investigators said at the briefing that the shooter had climbed up to his rooftop perch where he shot Kirk from.

He blended in easily with the college crowd, police said.

Timeline of Charlie Kirk shooting

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, September 10

Tuesday, September 9

8:29 am MDT – Shooter arrives on the Utah Valley University campus, as seen in surveillance videos.

Wednesday, September 10

11:52 am – The shooter, described as a college-age individual, arrives on campus before maneuvering onto a rooftop.

12:00 pm – Charlie Kirk is scheduled to host a debate in the UVU Fountain Courtyard.

12:10 pm – A shot is fired at Kirk from 200 yards away and hits him in the neck. The event is immediately evacuated and a man is taken into custody.

1:02 pm – President Donald Trump posts a call to pray for Kirk on Truth Social.

1:37 pm – UVU closes campus, cancels classes, and tells students to leave campus immediately.

1:50 pm – Officials confirm Kirk is in critical condition to the Associated Press.

2:40 pm – Trump confirms Kirk has died, hailing him “great, legendary” in a post on Truth Social.

4:21 pm FBI Director Kash Patel shares on X that the ‘subject for the horrific shooting’ is in custody.

4:30 pm – Utah Governor Spencer Cox, speaking at a press conference, brands Kirk’s death a ‘political assassination. Cox adds there is a ‘person of interest’ in custody and a man arrested earlier has been released.

7:59 pm – Patel, the FBI director, confirmed a second subject taken into custody in connection with Kirk’s shooting was released after being interrogated by law enforcement.

Thursday, September 11

7:15 am – Officials hold a press conference where they announce they have “good video” of the suspect and they recovered the “high-action bolt rifle” in the nearby woods.

9:55 am – Visuals of the suspect are released as officials ask for the public’s help in identifying the individual in the photos.

10:44 am – FBI offers a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in Kirk’s assassination.

10:00 pm – Tyler Robinson is arrested on Thursday night in St. George, Utah, after his dad turned him in. He’s booked into the Utah County Jail.

Friday, September 12

6:00 am – Trump announces a suspect was in custody during an appearance on Fox & Friends. “I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him,” the president said.

7:30 am – A press conference is held with FBI and Utah government officials, including Cox and Patel, where the Utah governor confirmed, “We got him.” The suspect is identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah.

In footage released by the FBI, he can be seen running across a roof and jumping off the building before fleeing the scene.

News of the arrest came hours after the FBI pleaded for public help by releasing pictures and video of the suspect.

Robinson evaded cops for more than 24 hours after Kirk was killed from a rooftop 200 yards away.

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The suspect ‘blended in well with the college crowd,’ police saidCredit: FBI Salt Lake City

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A drone view shows the scene where Charlie Kirk was killedCredit: Reuters

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PUBLIC ASSASSINATION

The conservative firebrand was hosting a student debate event at UVU when he was fatally shot in the neck.

It was the first stop on the tour organized by Turning Point USA, Kirk’s nonprofit conservative organization that he founded when he was 18.

His wife, Erika, and their two young children were in the crowd when he was shot to death.

Charlie Kirk’s rise to hero of the youth MAGA movement

CHARLIE Kirk transformed conservative youth activism from a marginal movement into a powerful force before his assassination on a college campus at 31.

Kirk was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality who rose to prominence as the co-founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).

He launched the organization in 2012 when he was just 18 years old, with the goal of promoting conservative principles to high school and college students and became a significant figure in American politics by building a massive grassroots network, framing himself as a “culture warrior.”

The rise of Turning Point USA

Turning Point USA’s mission was to counter what Kirk and his allies saw as liberal dominance on American college campuses.

It quickly grew to prominence through his use of provocative activism and viral social media campaigns.

They created watchlists of professors pushing leftist propaganda and organized events to debate students on controversial topics.

The strategy helped them gain a significant following and financial backing from wealthy conservative donors.

Kirk’s ability to connect with a new generation of conservatives was one of his most notable impacts.

He cultivated a style of political engagement that was heavily reliant on social media, podcasts, and confrontational public appearances.

His organization’s events, such as the annual Student Action Summit, drew thousands of young attendees and featured prominent conservative speakers, creating a new kind of political ecosystem for young people who felt alienated from traditional conservative groups.

A key ally of Donald Trump

Kirk also became a staunch supporter and ally of President Donald Trump.

He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention and served as an aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign.

This relationship solidified his position within the Republican Party’s “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) wing, and his organization became an integral part of Trump’s political apparatus.

Through his popular podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show,” and his frequent appearances on conservative media, Kirk was a powerful voice in the pro-Trump movement.

He often framed political issues as a “spiritual battle” between good and evil and championed a pugnacious, populist form of conservatism.

His influence was so significant that after Trump’s 2024 victory, Kirk was credited with helping to mobilize younger voters for the campaign.

Influence on culture and social issues

Beyond traditional politics, Kirk’s influence extended deeply into social and cultural issues.

He was a vocal opponent of “woke” ideology, particularly in education and media.

He promoted traditional values, often encouraging young women to prioritize becoming homemakers and mothers over professional careers.

Kirk also openly criticized programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

He was also a major proponent of Christian nationalism, arguing that there is no true separation of church and state in the United States.

The Turning Point Empire

Kirk’s activism led to the expansion of the Turning Point brand into a larger political and media empire.

He launched Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group focused on voter mobilization, and Turning Point Faith, aimed at engaging evangelical Christian communities in conservative politics.

These affiliated organizations allowed him to broaden his reach and influence beyond college campuses, into a more mainstream political force.

Moments before he was fatally struck, Kirk was responding to an audience member’s question about mass shooters.

Horrifying footage from the rally showed the moment Kirk was hit and began gushing blood as the panicked audience screamed and evacuated the outdoor event.

A video taken at the scene showed a figure dressed in black lying down on a roof and, after the shot was fired, running across the roof to escape.

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Charlie Kirk speaking at an event at Utah Valley University seconds before he was shotCredit: X

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The vantage point from where the assassin shot and killed Charlie Kirk on WednesdayCredit: Reuters

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President Donald Trump announcing Kirk’s suspected assassin is in custody on Fox News’ Fox & Friends on Friday morningCredit: Fox News
Police initially arrested two people after the shooting, who were later cleared and released, including elderly agitator George Zinn.

The false alarms raised speculation over FBI Director Kash Patel’s handling of the investigation, but the White House defended his leadership in a statement on Friday morning.

“Director Patel is working night and day on this case. Anyone who doubts his resolve and dedication — especially when Charlie was such a close friend to him — simply is using this extremely sad moment in disgusting act of political gamesmanship,” the White House said.

“The focus is justice, and this killer will face the full wrath of the justice system.”

The judge has ordered that Robinson be held without bail.

He is set to appear in court for the first time on Tuesday.

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Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and their two young childrenCredit: Instagram