Updated September 12, 2025 at 11:42 AM CDT
Authorities have arrested a 22-year-old suspect in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials said Friday, bringing an end to a frantic manhunt for the gunman behind an assassination that deepened concerns about political violence in the U.S.
"We got him," Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference early Friday.
Cox identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson of Utah. He said one of Robinson's family members reached out to a friend, who contacted the Washington County sheriff's office on Thursday night with information that Robinson had confessed or implied that he was the gunman.
That information was relayed to authorities, and FBI Director Kash Patel said Robinson was arrested at 10 p.m. local time Thursday night.
"The FBI and our partners are proud to stand here today together to bring justice to the family of Charlie Kirk and honor his memory," Patel said.
Authorities said they do not have any information that would lead to any more arrests. Robinson was arrested in Washington County, which is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and has since been booked into the Utah County jail.
Cox said investigators interviewed a family member, who said that Robinson had "become more political in recent years." The family member also recounted a recent dinner with Robinson at which he stated that Kirk was going to be speaking at Utah Valley University.
"They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had," Cox said. "The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate."
Cox said investigators also spoke with Robinson's roommate, who showed authorities messages allegedly from Robinson on the social media platform Discord. In those messages, an individual believed to be Robinson says he needs to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, and stated the firearm was wrapped in a towel.
Inscriptions on bullets
Authorities have previously said they found a rifle wrapped in a towel, which is the gun they believe was used in the shooting.
Cox said the gun was a Mauser bolt-action rifle with a mounted scope. He also said that investigators recovered bullets that bore inscriptions on them.
The writing on the single spent casing, he said, read, "Notices bulges OWO what's this?" Authorities didn't elaborate on the meaning of the messages.
The note on one unfired casing was "Hey fascist! Catch!" along with arrow symbols. He said the inscriptions on the other unfired casings read, "O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao," which could be a gaming reference or a reference to an Italian anti-fascist resistance song. A third unfired casing carried the words "if you read this you are gay lmao."
Governor says America at 'watershed' moment
With a suspect in custody, Cox used the occasion to warn of the dangers of political violence, calling Kirk's assassination "a watershed in American history."
"The question is what kind of watershed, and that chapter remains to be written," the governor said. "Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history, or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?"
"This is our moment," he added. "Do we escalate or do we find an off ramp? And again, it's a choice. It's a choice. And every one of us gets to make that choice."
Kirk was fatally shot while speaking to a crowd of students at Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon, sparking a massive search for the gunman.
After the shooting, the FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety released photos of the suspect, dressed in a black shirt and hat and carrying a black backpack, as well as video of him scampering across a roof on campus after the shooting and fleeing.
Investigators reviewed additional surveillance footage from campus, Cox said, and determined that Robinson arrived at the university in a gray Dodge Challenger around 8:30 a.m. on the day of the shooting. In the video, Robinson is wearing a plain maroon T-shirt, light colored shorts and a black hat.
The videos and photos of the suspect provided by authorities show a man dressed in a black shirt, dark pants and hat. Officials said Robinson is believed to have driven to the campus in Orem, Utah, in one set of clothes and then changed into different clothing for the shooting.
Trump calls for death penalty
President Trump announced on Fox & Friends earlier Friday that authorities had a suspect in custody.
"I hope he's going to be found guilty, I would imagine, and I hope he gets the death penalty," Trump said.
Robinson's arrest came roughly 33 hours after the shooting, according to the timeline provided by Patel. In contrast, it took some five days for authorities to arrest Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.
Still, the investigation into Kirk's killing was not without its hiccups.
The FBI director tweeted on Wednesday evening that "the subject of the horrific shooting that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody."
Later that night, Patel had to walk that back in a subsequent tweet, stating that the individual in custody had been released and that the investigation continued.
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