The suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk is now in custody. President Trump made the announcement earlier this morning, and then the FBI confirmed it.
"With a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody...Everyone did a great job. We worked with the local police, the governor, everybody did a great job, you know, getting somebody that you start off with absolutely nothing," the President said on Fox & Friends.
Authorities have now officially identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from Utah. Utah's governor says the assassination suspect had reportedly indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting.
At a press conference on Friday morning, state and federal officials described the process that led to the capture of Robinson. Investigators discussed the discovery of the rifle in a wooded area, wrapped in a dark towel. Messages from the shooter were engraved onto bullet casings found with the rifle. Several of the messages include:
- "Hey Fascist! Catch!"
- "Bella Ciao" (an anti-fascist anthem from Italy)
- "If you read this you are gay LMAO"
The suspect had openly expressed opposition to Kirk and his conservative viewpoints and reportedly indicated that he was responsible for the shooting, authorities said. Chat app messages attributed to Robinson were shared with law enforcement by a roommate of his.
Then Robinson’s father recognized him from the photos released by the FBI and confronted him, telling him to turn himself in. His father then reached out for help to their youth pastor, who also occasionally works with the U.S. Marshals, and called the agency so he could turn himself in.
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President Trump also shared details about how the suspect was taken into custody. "Somebody that was very close to him said, 'Hmm that's him,' and essentially went to the father and went to a U.S. Marshal...and the person was involved with law enforcement, but was a person of faith, a minister, and brought him to a U.S. Marshal, who is fantastic, and the father convinced the son, 'This is it,'" Trump explained.
The president's statement comes after authorities were able to use surveillance video to track the suspected shooter's movements on campus, confirming he fired from a rooftop overlooking the courtyard where Kirk was speaking.
Newly released video shows what they believe is the suspect's escape. Showing him climbing down from the roof and moving across a parking lot.
On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance was seen escorting Charlie Kirk's casket onto Air Force Two after visiting with his widow.
PHOTO: Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, and Erika Kirk, holding a cross on a chain, deplane Air Force Two in Phoenix, carrying the body of Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
President Trump says he's worried about the state of the country, but urged his supporters to respond to the assassination the way Kirk would have.
"He was an advocate of non-violence. That's the way I'd like to see people respond," Trump said.
Counter-terrorism expert John Cohen, with the Center for Internet Security, says that unless America returns to a sense of civility, attacks like this will continue.
"We are a very divided nation, and it's not just that people tend to disagree with each other, but they are increasingly viewing those that disagree with them, or that they disagree with, as the enemy. We are seeing an increase in the number of individuals who are willing to use violence as a way to express their political ideological views or to express their sense of grievance...The solution to this problem is bringing back civility, and in a sense, more of a calm nature to our public discourse," Cohen told CBN News.
Authorities are urging the public to take a break from social media, warning there's a large amount of disinformation being shared online, with bots from Russia, China, and other countries trying to encourage violence.
PHOTO: Utah Valley University students embrace during a vigil on Sept. 11, 2025, for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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