OREM, Utah — A suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University has been taken into custody and identified as 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson.
Robinson, who is listed as being from Washington, Utah, was booked into the Utah County Jail after being arrested in Washington County at 10 p.m. Thursday.
Gov. Spencer Cox announced in a briefing on Friday that a family member of Robinson's had reached out to a friend, who then contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office, leading to an arrest.
Watch full briefing on arrest of Tyler Robinson below:
While no other arrests are expected, the governor said the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
According to Cox, the family member shared that Robinson had seemingly confessed to being involved in the deadly shooting and had become more political in recent years. Robinson was alleged to have brought up Kirk at a recent dinner in which he called the activist "full of hate," and referenced the activist's appearance at the school.
Robinson was observed on security video arriving on Wednesday on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem just after 8 a.m. in a Gray Dodge Challenger, wearing a plain maroon shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo and light-colored shoes.
When investigators encountered Robinson in person in Washington County early Friday, he was wearing similar clothing to that of the surveillance images from the morning of the shooting.
Robinson registered in 2021 as an unaffiliated voter, meaning he did not declare a party affiliation. Records show he did not vote in the last two election cycles.
On Thursday, officials shared that a rifle was located in a wooded area off campus, along with shell casings. Cox said those shell casings found at the crime scene included messages engraved that said, "Hey Fascist! Catch!" and "If you read this, you are Gay, LMAO."
Cox added that messages Robinson sent on the Discord app discussed the need to “retrieve a rifle from a drop point.”
The first mention of Robinson being in custody came from President Donald Trump, who shared the news during an appearance on FOX & Friends.
"I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him," Trump said.
When asked about what would happen to the suspected shooter, Trump stated, "I hope he gets the death penalty."
The president continued, complimenting officials in Utah for their handling of the tragedy. "Everyone did a great job. We worked with the local police, the governor, everybody did a great job."
Kirk was shot Wednesday while speaking on the campus of the Orem school. He was brought to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where he later died.
During the manhunt for the shooting suspect, the FBI and other agencies poured numerous resources into the search. Over 11,000 tips were received and 200 interviews were conducted in the days following the shooting.
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