Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced Friday that the suspect in the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah.
Cox explained at a press conference: “We arrested him. On the evening of September 11, a member of Tyler Robinson’s family contacted a family friend, who then called the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had either confessed or hinted that he carried out the incident.”
He added that “the suspect in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has a political background and opposes his beliefs.”
A source said the suspect’s father reviewed surveillance footage and worked with a pastor to persuade his son to turn himself in over the killing of Charlie Kirk.
On the run for more than 24 hours
The suspect in Kirk’s killing remained on the run from police and federal agents for more than 24 hours after Wednesday’s shooting, when he fired a single shot that killed Kirk — a close ally of Trump — during his appearance at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Earlier, U.S. investigators said they had found a rifle with a bolt-action mechanism believed to have been used in Kirk’s killing, and they released photos of a person of interest.
The FBI circulated low-resolution images, apparently taken from security cameras, showing a man wearing a black shirt, black sunglasses, and a dark baseball cap. The long-sleeved shirt appeared to feature a bald eagle flying over the American flag.
Law enforcement released a video showing the man running across the roof of a building before jumping down to the ground.
Kirk — an author and podcast host — was a close ally of Trump and helped rally support for the Republican Party among younger voters.
He was also the co-founder and president of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, and appeared Wednesday at Utah Valley University as part of a planned tour of 15 events at U.S. universities.
His killing sparked a wave of outrage and condemnation of political violence from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as from foreign governments.
