Who is Tyler Robinson? What we know about Charlie Kirk's suspected assassin

WASHINGTON, Utah – Tyler Robinson, 22, has been identified as the suspected killer in Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination on a Utah college campus.

“We got him on the evening of Sept. 11,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced in a Friday morning news briefing. 

“A family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.” 

TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION 

The booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)

Background and upbringing

Since-deleted Facebook posts, viewed by Fox News Digital, paint a picture of Robinson’s life in Washington County, Utah, filled with family milestones, birthdays and school achievements.

By 2021, Robinson was shown moving into Utah State University (USU), with photos outside the Richard and Moonyeen Anderson Engineering Building.

Tyler Robinson in 2021 in front of the Richard and Moonyeen Anderson Engineering Building (ENGR) at Utah State University. The university said that Robinson was “briefly” a student at the public university.  (Amber Robinson via Facebook)

In a statement to Fox News from USU, the public university said: “Utah State University confirms that Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk, briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021.”

“We can also confirm that he was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major for his one semester,” the school added.

PERSON OF INTEREST IN CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION PICTURED IN PHOTOS RELEASED BY FBI

Investigation and arrest

At a news conference, Cox outlined the timeline leading to Robinson’s arrest.

The information was passed to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, investigators at Utah Valley University (UVU) and the FBI.

A grey Dodge Challenger parked in the driveway of Tyler Robinson’s family home in Washington, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. Robinson reportedly drove a grey Dodge Challenger to UVU on the day he allegedy assassinated Charlie Kirk. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

Surveillance and identification

Investigators said surveillance video showed Robinson arriving at UVU in a gray Dodge Challenger around 8:29 a.m. on Sept. 10, shortly before the shooting. A family member later confirmed to authorities that Robinson owned a vehicle matching that description.

“He is observed on video in a plain maroon T-shirt, light colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo and light colored shoes,” Cox said.

Fox News Digital captured a grey Dodge Challenger parked in the driveway of Robinson’s family home in Washington, Utah.

Witness statements

Family members told investigators Robinson had “become more political in recent years.”

“The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10,” Cox said. “In that conversation, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had.”

Investigators also spoke with Robinson’s roommate.

“Investigators interviewed that roommate who stated that his roommate, referring to Robinson, made a joke on Discord,” Cox explained. “The content of these messages included… a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point… messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left… engraving bullets… and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel.”

Map shows Orem, Utah, where the Kirk assassination shooting took place, and St. George, Utah, where the suspect was taken into custody on Sept. 12, 2025. (Fox News)

Weapon recovered

The investigation led to the recovery of a rifle north of UVU’s Campus Drive Road, where authorities found a rifle wrapped in a “dark-colored towel.”

“The rifle was determined to be a Mauser Model 98 .36 caliber bolt action rifle,” Cox said. “The rifle had a scope mounted on top of it. Investigators noted inscriptions that had been engraved on casings found with the rifle.”

A general view of a wreath laid by mourners outside the US Embassy in Pretoria on Sept. 11, 2025, following the fatal shooting of US youth activist and influencer Charlie Kirk while speaking during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, United States. (PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

Governor: Robinson family ‘did the right thing’

Cox credited law enforcement and the public with swiftly closing in on Robinson.

“We are indebted to law enforcement across the state,” he said. “We’re grateful for everyone who worked together in such a short amount of time to find this person and to bring justice.”

WATCH: Utah governor details arrest of Tyler Robinson for Charlie Kirk’s murder

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK 

The Republican governor thanked Robinson’s family members for doing the “right thing.”

“I want to thank the public who has been so engaged reviewing videos, helping us with sending in tips and helping us get to this point,” Cox said. “I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing in this case and were able to bring him in to law enforcement as well.”

Charlie Kirk and his wife Erika Lane Frantzve appear on stage during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Cox also offered condolences to Kirk’s loved ones, saying: “I especially want to thank the family of Charlie Kirk — Erika, Charlie’s parents, his two young children. 

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“This is a very sad day for our country, a terrible day for the state of Utah,” Cox said. “But I’m grateful that at this moment, we have an opportunity to bring closure to this very dark chapter in our nation’s history.”