Police in Utah have identified the suspect who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
Governor Spencer Cox confirmed Robinson’s identity Friday, appearing alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials.
Cox said investigators were tipped off after a relative reported that Robinson had confessed or hinted at his involvement.
Surveillance footage later showed him arriving on campus Wednesday morning in a gray Dodge Challenger.
Robinson was arrested early Friday, wearing clothes matching those seen in the footage. According to Cox, a family member told investigators Robinson had become more politically fixated in recent years and had mentioned Kirk’s visit to UVU days before the shooting.
President Donald Trump, who first announced Kirk’s death, also broke the news of Robinson’s arrest.
Speaking on Fox News, Trump praised local and federal authorities, adding that “somebody very close” to Robinson had helped convince him to turn himself in.
Video released Thursday showed the suspected gunman fleeing across a rooftop before disappearing into a grassy area.
The FBI later recovered a high-powered bolt-action rifle and other trace evidence nearby.
Turning Point USA, the conservative student group Kirk founded, said in a statement that while he had faced “thousands” of threats, he never wavered in his mission to reach young Americans. “All of us will miss Charlie,” the group said. “None of us will ever forget him.”
