Here’s what we know about Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter

U.S. officials have identified a suspect arrested in connection with Conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s shooting death as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Washington County, Utah, currently in custody at the Utah County Jail.

According to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a family member reported that Robinson grew increasingly political in the years leading up to the shooting, and had allegedly mentioned Kirk’s visit to the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU), where the deadly shooting occurred. He was not a student of UVU.

Robinson allegedly shared with a family member that he was connected to the shooting, Cox said during a press conference Friday.

Cox says Robinson was identified in surveillance footage arriving on UVU campus shortly after 8 a.m., local time, on the morning of the shooting. He drove a grey Dodge Challenger and was seen wearing clothing consistent with his outfit at the time of his arrest in Washington County, Utah, Thursday night.

It is believed that Robinson changed clothing over the course of the day.

Discord messages allegedly connected to Robinson reference a rifle stored at a “drop point,” as well as “engraving bullets.”

According to Cox, bullet casings retrieved from the crime scene featured engraved messages including “Hey fascist! Catch! (Up arrow, right arrow, down arrow, down arrow, down arrow),” as well as what appear to be lyrics from “Bella Ciao,” a song often associated with Italian anti-fascist resistance fighters in the Second World War.

The series of arrows may be a reference to the 2024 third-person shooter Helldivers 2. In the game, up-right-down-down-down is a button combination used to call in a large airstrike, and is frequently mentioned in memes related to the game.

Helldivers 2 is set in a spacefaring future where humanity fights an endless war with aliens and robots. A bombastic satire, the game depicts humanity under the control of a galactic government that is outwardly obsessed with liberty and democracy, but rules through hyper-militaristic propaganda and authoritarianism.

Other messages allegedly inscribed on the casings include “notices bulges OWO what’s this?” and “If you read this you are gay LMAO.”

Cox declined to provide any interpretations of the engravings, or any details on Robinson’s interactions with law enforcement in the time since his arrest, but did note that it is believed he acted alone.

“We do not, at this time, have any information that would lead to any additional arrests,” he said. “The investigation is on-going.”

No charge against Robinson has been tested in court.

FBI released profile of suspect before arrest

A profile of the alleged shooter was released by authorities in Utah following Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting on Wednesday.

In a press conference Thursday morning, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said they had recovered what authorities believe is the weapon used in yesterday’s shooting. It was a high-powered bolt-action rifle, he said, which was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled.

Investigators also collected footwear impressions, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.

While Bohls couldn’t confirm the motive, he said all leads and tips are being investigated. In the Friday press conference announcing Robinson’s arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel said that 11,000 leads had been brought to law enforcement attention.

The FBI has announced a reward of “up to US$100,000” for information leading to the identification and arrest of those responsible for the killing.

Special Commissioner in Charge Beau Mason with the Utah Department of Public Safety said the suspect “blended in well with the college institution” and appears to be of “college age.”

Mason also explained the series of events that occurred prior to and following the incident.

“Starting at 11:52 a.m., the subject arrived on campus, shortly away from campus, we have tracked his movements onto the campus through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to a shooting location.”

The FBI was able to track the suspect’s movement following the shooting where he fled off the campus and into a neighbourhood, Mason says.

Authorities have contacted residents with doorbell camera footage and witnesses to identify any leads.

Mason added that they have obtained “good video footage” of the suspect but will not be releasing it at this time as authorities are using “technologies” to help identify him.

Salt Lake City FBI released a photo of a person of interest around noon on Thursday.

What happened at Charlie Kirk’s event?

On Wednesday, Kirk held an event with his organization Turning Point USA at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was fatally shot in the neck at around 2:20 p.m. EDT while on stage discussing mass shootings.

Amy and Jeremy King, who were at the event, tell CTV News Channel that the shooting occurred approximately 10 minutes into Kirk’s Q&A.

“It was the second question asked of the night, and we were just settling in, and we were excited for this debate. We have an open mind for a lot of these subjects that they were talking about, and he unfortunately did not get … very far before we’d heard a pop, and it took me a second to realize that it was gunfire,” Jeremy recounts.

After that, he says “everyone just dropped.” Footage showed hundreds of spectators fleeing the scene.

Kirk was then rushed to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in critical condition where he was later pronounced dead. U.S. President Trump announced his death in a Truth Social Post.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” Trump said on Wednesday.

Trump ordered flags throughout the United States to be lowered to half-mast until Sunday evening at 6 p.m., he said in a social media post.