By
Kerry Breen
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
Updated on: September 12, 2025 / 10:34 AM EDT
/ CBS News
A suspect has been arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, officials said Friday morning. Utah Governor Spencer Cox said the suspect had been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22.
Cox said Robinson resides in Southern Utah and confessed to his father. Two law enforcement sources say Robinson’s father reported his son to clergy, who took the tip to the U.S. Marshals Service. Robinson was taken into custody late Thursday night, FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday.
Cox thanked the family members of the suspected shooter, who he said “did the right thing” in bringing him to law enforcement.
President Donald Trump was the first to announce the suspect was in custody during an appearance on “Fox and Friends.” Mr. Trump said that the suspect’s father convinced his son to turn himself in and the suspect was driven “into the police headquarters” and is in custody.
Cox said a family member told investigators that Robinson had become more political in recent years, and referenced an incident where Robinson had come to dinner and mentioned Kirk’s upcoming appearance. He also said messages on the messaging platform Discord that were reviewed by investigators that came from a person named “Tyler” referenced a rifle wrapped in a towel that was left in the woods and engravings on bullets.
Cox said that there were inscriptions on the casings of the fired bullet and three unfired ones. The fired bullet casing contained the inscription, “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” An unfired bullet casing read, “Hey fascist, catch!” And a second unfired casing read, “oh bella ciao, bella cio, bella ciao, ciao, ciao.” A third unfired casing said, “If you read this, you are gay.”
Cox declined to speculate on the meaning of the inscriptions.
“I will leave that up to you to interpret what those engravings mean,” Cox said. He added that the “catch fascists” inscription “speaks for itself.”
Kirk, who was 31, was engaging in one of his signature “Prove Me Wrong” debates at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed on Wednesday afternoon. The event was part of Turning Point USA’s “The American Comeback Tour,” and there were over 3,000 people in attendance when Kirk was shot, police said. Kirk had just begun to debate someone in the audience about gun violence when he was shot, witnesses said.
Just one shot was fired, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said on Wednesday night. Kirk was struck in the neck. A university spokeswoman said the single shot is believed to have been fired from the Losee Center for Student Success, which houses a number of services and resources. A law enforcement source told CBS News the gunman appeared to have fired from the building’s roof.
Mason said Thursday that the shooter arrived on campus at 11:52 a.m. local time Wednesday and used stairwells to access the roof. After the shooting, the shooter jumped off the building and fled into a neighborhood off campus, Mason said. Investigators canvassed the neighborhood and reviewed video footage, he said. Mason described the shooter as a male subject who “appears to be of college age.”
Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge of the bureau’s Salt Lake City field office, said Thursday that investigators recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle that they believe was used in the assassination. The gun was found in a wooded area where the shooter fled, Bohls said.
The Utah Public Safety Department and the Salt Lake City FBI office released two photos that they said showed a person of interest on Thursday afternoon. The person was wearing a dark baseball cap, black glasses, a long-sleeved dark shirt that appeared to future an American flag and an eagle, and dark-colored pants.
The arrest comes after two people were taken into custody, then released, on Wednesday. Neither individual had ties to the shooting, the Utah Department of Public Safety said on Wednesday night. The second person taken into custody was charged with obstruction of justice, the department said.
Kirk was a close ally of President Trump and a friend of Donald Trump Jr.
The president, who ordered flags be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening, announced plans to honor Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling him “a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.” He also released a video statement blaming the “radical left” for the killing. Politicians and figures on both sides of the aisle have condemned Kirk’s killing.
Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and their two young children. Kirk’s body will be transported to Arizona, where his family lives, on Air Force Two, officials said Thursday afternoon.
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
The post Suspect arrested in Charlie Kirk killing confessed to father, officials say appeared first on CBS News.
