Authorities confirmed they have arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in connection with the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.
President Trump and law enforcement officials said Robinson’s father assisted in convincing his son to surrender peacefully.
A high-powered rifle was later recovered in a wooded area near the suspect’s escape route, along with shell casings marked with inscriptions.
According to the WSJ’s latest reports a family member told authorities that Tyler Robinson had discussed his dislike for Charlie Kirk during a dinner days before the shooting, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said.
A police mugshot shows Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the fatal shooting of U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S., in this photo released by the Utah Department of Public Safety on September 12, 2025. Utah Department of Public Safety/Handout via REUTERS
Cox said a family member contacted a family friend after the shooting and that that friend then reached out to a sheriff’s office, telling officers that Robinson had confessed to the killing. Robinson had mentioned that Kirk was visiting Utah Valley University later that week, Cox said.
At the White House, President Trump condemned the attack and called for the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. “We must defeat these radical psychopaths,” Trump declared. “We must hit them hard.”
However, he stressed that his supporters’ response must remain peaceful, adding: “Charlie Kirk was not in favor of violence. That’s how I want people to react.”
Trump also confirmed he plans to attend Kirk’s funeral.
Kirk’s body was flown to Phoenix aboard Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, in a gesture of support to Jennings’s family. The date of the funeral has not yet been set.
