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Charlie Kirk's killer was arrested overnight in Utah, officials announced Friday morning. Tyler Robinson, 22, is in custody based in part on a tip from his own father and will face charges for murdering the conservative political activist earlier this week.
Here are the latest updates for Friday, Sept. 12, 2025:
Charlie Kirk's wife delivers remarks
8:15 p.m. ET: Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, made her first remarks Friday evening since her husband's death.
Kirk addressed the media at 8:15 p.m. ET from Arizona, where her husband will be buried.
The event was livestreamed on Turning Point USA's YouTube, X and Rumble pages.
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Erika Kirk: Charlie's "movement will continue"
At her first public address since the assassination of her husband, Erika Kirk discussed how Charlie's organization, Turning Point USA, will continue its operations in the wake of his death.
Tyler Robinson charges
12:40 p.m. ET: Robinson is being held at the Utah County Jail. He was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice charges, which are all felonies, according to a court affidavit obtained by the AP and FOX. A judge ordered that he be held without bail. Court records indicate that he had not been convicted of any crimes in the past.
Father, pastor helped ID suspect
12:30 p.m. ET: Tyler Robinson’s father recognized him from the photos released by the FBI and told him to turn himself in, the AP reports. Robinson refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
His father 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.
Photos show Tyler Robinson in 2022
12:05 p.m. ET: FOX News has obtained portrait-style photos of Tyler Robinson from 2022. Family members say Robinson had become "more political" recently and had discussed Kirk's message of "hate" with a family member.
Photos of Tyler Robinson taken in late 2022 by Cher Houston Photography, via FOX News. Booking photo inset.
Robinson was engineering major, university says
12 p.m. ET: Utah State University announced Friday that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk, "briefly attended" classes there for one semester in 2021.
Robinson was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major for his one semester, Fox News Digital learned.
New details emerge about Tyler Robinson
11:30 a.m. ET: The Associated Press reported that Tyler James Robinson was admitted to Utah State University on an academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. A university spokesperson told the AP he attended the school for only one semester in 2021.
Utah state records state Robinson was registered as a voter but not affiliated with either political party.
Mug shot of Tyler Robinson released
10:55 a.m. ET: Officials released a mugshot of Tyler Robinson, the shooting suspect in Charlie Kirk's death.
Booking photos of Tyler Robinson (Fox News)
Utah governor says Kirk assassination suspect is believed to have acted alone
10:45 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox says shooting suspect Tyler Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the Charlie Kirk investigation is ongoing despite Robinson's arrest.
FBI Director Kash Patel shares timeline of investigation
10:30 a.m. ET: The first FBI agents arrived on the scene at Utah Valley University some 16 minutes after Kirk was shot on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel said at the news conference.
The bureau released the first photos of the suspect on Thursday morning, followed by the announcement of a cash reward and then the release of video of the suspect climbing down from the roof of a campus building and running away.
"Just last night, the suspect was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time," Patel announced.
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Witness speaks out after suspect arrested in Kirk murder
Skyler Baird described the moment Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a university event in Utah. President Trump told Fox News the suspect has been arrested.
Utah governor says Kirk’s assassination ‘is an attack on all of us’
10:26 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said some people have asked why there have been so many resources dedicated to investigating Kirk’s killing when there’s violence around the country, but the governor said it is "much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us."
RELATED: Who is Charlie Kirk? Political activist killed at Utah Valley University, Trump confirms
The Republican said Kirk’s killing is "an attack on the American experiment" and values, and "cuts to the very foundation of who we are."
Details of messages on bullet casings revealed
10:25 a.m. ET: Bullet casings discovered by authorities had several inscriptions engraved on them, Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox said. The casing that had been fired read: "notices bulges OwO what’s this?"
- Cox said there were three unfired casings:
- One read, "hey fascist! catch!" with an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols.
- Another one read: "oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao," Cox said.
- The third fired casing read: "if you read this you are gay lmao."
Kirk assassination suspect indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting
10:15 a.m. ET: Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox opened the news conference on the latest developments in Charlie Kirk’s assassination with the statement, "We got him."
Cox told reporters that Kirk assassination suspect Tyler Robinson indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting.
The president talked about learning the news of Kirk’s assassination
9:50 a.m. ET: Near the end of his Fox News interview, President Donald Trump said he’d been holding a meeting about building the new White House ballroom when his aides interrupted.
"They came in and they said, ‘Charlie Kirk is dead.’ I didn’t know what they meant. I said, ‘What do you mean, dead?’" Trump said.
"‘Charlie Kirk was shot.’ And they thought it was dead because it was so horrific."
Trump said he swiftly ended his meeting. "I just told these people, "Get out, you gotta go."
Suspect in custody in connection with Charlie Kirk shooting is 22-year-old from Utah, AP source says
9:25 a.m. ET: The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
A news conference is scheduled with the latest on Charlie Kirk investigation
9 a.m. ET: State and federal officials in Utah are planning to hold a news conference on the investigation.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls are expected to attend.
Suspect Tyler Robinson, left, and Charlie Kirk.
Trump says Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody
8:15 a.m. ET: Trump confirmed the news during a Friday morning interview with FOX & Friends.
"I think, with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody, right in custody. Everyone did a great job," Trump said.
RELATED: Charlie Kirk shooting: Video shared by investigators shows alleged gunman fleeing scene
"I just heard about it five minutes before I walked in. As I'm walking in, they said, 'Looking real good.' They have the person that they wanted."
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Charlie Kirk murder suspect arrested, Trump says
On FOX & Friends, President Trump broke the news of an arrest in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Sources told FOX News Friday that the suspected shooter was taken into custody in Southern Utah.
Federal investigators and state officials on Thursday had released photos and a video of the person they believe is responsible. Kirk was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem.
More than 7,000 leads and tips had poured in, officials said. Authorities have yet to publicly name the suspect or cite a motive in the killing, the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.
Video shows alleged gunman fleeing the scene
Dig deeper:
Law enforcement showed new video during a news conference on Thursday evening showing the alleged gunman fleeing from the scene after Kirk was shot.
In the video, a person wearing dark clothing is seen running across a rooftop and then climbing down the side. He is then seen running away from the scene.
Who was Charlie Kirk?
The backstory:
Kirk was the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA. Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government.
RELATED: Who is Charlie Kirk? Political activist killed at Utah Valley University, Trump confirms
Kirk appeared alongside Trump on stage at political events, and was also a frequent commentator on Fox News, CNBC, and FOX Business News. He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Kirk played a major role in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. He was credited with turning out the younger vote for Trump.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by LIVENOW from FOX and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.