The Latest: A 22-year-old Utah man is in custody in Charlie Kirk shooting, governor says

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The suspect in custody in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a 22-year-old from Utah, authorities said Friday.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox identified the man as Tyler Robinson. Cox was joined by FBI Director Kash Patel and other officials at a news conference announcing the arrest, and authorities later released Robinson's mugshot.

President Donald Trump announced earlier Friday “with a high degree of certainty” that the suspect in Kirk's killing had been caught.

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 as authorities responded to the latest act of political violence to convulse the United States.

A Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle was found in a towel in the woods. A spent cartridge was recovered from the chamber, and three other rounds were loaded in the magazine, according to information circulated among law enforcement and described to The Associated Press.

The assassination offers the latest example of how ordinary security measures can be defeated in an era of escalating political violence, when anyone associated with the political process is a potential target. Security experts interviewed by AP questioned whether the event was sufficiently staffed but also acknowledged the limitations of both campus police forces and outdoor venues.

The Latest:

Robinson has two younger brothers and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to his mother’s social media posts. The family lives in a suburb of the city of St. George in southern Utah. That’s about a 3.5 hour drive south of the Utah Valley University campus where Kirk was shot.

The social media posts indicate his family was active, with photos of vacations to Disneyland, Alaska and St. Kitts and time outdoors spent fishing, zip-lining and target shooting.

Robinson’s father recognized him from images released by authorities and encouraged him to turn himself in, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

He refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

His father reached out for help to a youth pastor, who helped Robinson turn himself in.

— Lindsay Whitehurst

Tyler James Robinson was admitted to Utah State University on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter posted to a family member’s social media account. A university spokesperson says he attended for only one semester in 2021.

Utah state records say Robinson was registered as a voter but not affiliated with either political party.

Vice President JD Vance credited Utah officials and the FBI for their efforts in capturing the suspected shooter.

“We took a big step this morning in getting justice for Charlie, and for his family. Thanks be to God for that,” Vance wrote.

The Utah governor was referencing the rapid spread of graphic video of Kirk’s fatal shooting, along with the recent release of video a deadly stabbing on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He said Americans aren’t used to seeing such graphic imagery. He encouraged people to step away from their devices and spend time with family instead.

“This is not good for us. It is not good to consume,” Cox said. “Social media is a cancer on our society right now.”

The first FBI agents arrived on the scene at Utah Valley University some 16 minutes after Kirk was shot on Wednesday, 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.

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.”

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.”

Bullet casings discovered by investigators had several inscriptions engraved on them, Cox said. The casing that had been fired read: “notices bulges OWO what’s this?”

1. Cox said there were three unfired casings:

2. One read, “hey fascist! catch!” with an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols.

3. Another one read: “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao,” Cox said.

4. The third fired casing read: “if you read this you are gay lmao.”

Cox opened a news conference on the latest developments in Kirk’s assassination with that statement.

Cox said the assassination suspect had grown more political and was opposed to Kirk’s beliefs, and that he had indicated to a family friend that he was connected to the shooting.

Near the end of his Fox interview, 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.”

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.

— Alanna Durkin Richer

“You have to go forward,” the president said when asked about appearances getting cancelled after Kirk’s assassination.

State and federal officials in Utah are planning to hold a news conference at 9 a.m. ET 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.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the suspect in the Charlie Kirk killing has been captured.

“With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump announced in a live interview on Fox News Chanel on Friday morning.

Trump said a minister who is also involved with law enforcement turned in the suspect to authorities.

“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” Trump said.