Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing identified, confirmed in jail

Update, 1 p.m.: 

Officials arrested Tyler Robinson on Thursday night as the man suspected of fatally shooting political commentator Charlie Kirk, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday. The 22-year-old suspect is now in the Utah County Jail and will be charged within the next three days, he added. Robinson did not attend Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot on Wednesday. It’s believed that the shooter worked alone, and officials don’t expect any more arrests, Cox said. Robinson is presumed legally innocent until proven guilty in court. 

FBI Director Kash Patel praised the work of local and federal authorities, noting that the arrest came in 33 hours. The first FBI agents arrived on scene 16 minutes after the shooting, Patel said. The investigation is still very active and will continue for some time, he added.

Officials found a bolt-action rifle with a scope, believed to be the murder weapon, wrapped in a towel in a lightly wooded area on the edge of the campus, Cox said. Investigators also recovered one engraved bullet casing and several engraved bullets. Cox recited the spent bullet casing’s message: “Notices bulges OWO what’s this?” The three unfired bullets read, “Hey fascist! Catch!,” “If you read this you are gay lmao,” and “Bella chow bella chow bella chow chow chow.”

OWO is a text-based emoticon and is sometimes used to express surprise or curiosity. Bella Ciao, literally “goodbye beautiful,” is an old Italian workers' song and a meme on TikTok sometimes remixed with gunshot noises.

What evidence pointed to the suspect? A family friend of Robinson’s alerted authorities after the alleged shooter made incriminating comments to his family, Cox said. Robinson’s family said the suspect had become more political in recent years, and recalled a conversation where he discussed Kirk and his upcoming visit to Utah Valley University, the governor added.

Robinson’s roommate also showed law enforcement messages from a group chat on the social media platform Discord, according to the governor. The roommate thought Robinson was joking when he stated a need to retrieve a rifle wrapped in a towel left at a drop point in a bush. There were also messages referencing the engraving of bullets, a unique rifle scope, and changing outfits, Cox said.

Surveillance caught Robinson arriving on campus on Wednesday morning in a gray Dodge Challenger, a make and model that Robinson’s family confirmed the suspect drove. The shooter arrived on campus in what appeared to be the same clothes that he was arrested wearing Thursday night, Cox noted. Authorities confirmed that the shooter changed clothes on the roof after the shooting and left in a different outfit from what he arrived in, he added.

A vigil in memory of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA. Associated Press / Photo by Lindsey Wasson

Original story, 9:45 a.m.:

“I think we have him,” Trump says of Kirk murder suspect

President Donald Trump on Friday said in an interview with Fox News that officials may have detained the suspected shooter. Authorities had a high degree of certainty that they had in custody the man believed to have killed conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk during an event on Wednesday in Utah. Officials received thousands of tips, and Trump said someone who knew the shooter well turned him in. Investigators had not officially announced an arrest at the time of the interview Friday morning.

The FBI office in Salt Lake City Thursday night released new photos of the suspect. They also posted a surveillance video showing a person dressed in dark clothing jumping down from the roof on the campus of Utah Valley University where authorities believe Kirk’s shooter was positioned.

What other updates are there? Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday arrived in Utah aboard Air Force Two to transport Kirk’s body back to his home state of Arizona. Vance walked alongside soldiers carrying Kirk's casket on the tarmac in Salt Lake City. Kirk’s wife, Erika, and other members of his family and team flew back to Phoenix aboard the vice presidential plane.

Kirk’s family had not announced funeral plans as of Friday morning, though Trump said Thursday that a service would likely be sometime next week and that he planned to attend. Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA, were instrumental in bolstering Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Dig deeper: Read my report about the manhunt for Kirk's killer.