3 hours ago
As we learn more about the suspect accused of killing Charlie Kirk, here's a recap of the day so far
After nearly two days of searching, authorities announced today that they have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting and killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, at a speaking event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday. Tyler Robinson, 22, is now in custody at Utah County Jail.
According to surveillance footage, authorities say that Robinson was seen arriving at the UVU campus on Wednesday in a Dodge Challenger.
FBI director Kash Patel said that Robinson was ultimately arrested in Washington County – which sits in the southwest corner of the state – at around 10pm local time on Thursday 11 September.
At a press conference earlier, governor Spencer Cox said that Robinson’s family friend turned him in, and told officers that Robinson “confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident”. Cox also said that a family member that investigators interviewed described Robinson as becoming “more political in recent years” and was aware that Kirk was due to speak at UVU.
The weapon used was identified as a high-action bolt rifle, and Cox noted that several bullet casings were found at the scene of the crime. One of three unfired casings read “Hey fascist! Catch!”, a second read “Oh Bella Ciao” (which is the name of an anti-fascist Italian anthem), and a third casing had the following engraved: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO”.
Robinson has not been formally charged yet. Officials today said they have three days to prepare those documents, which will likely be filed early next week. According to court records obtained by CNN, Robinson is being held without bail on several initial charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice.
A Utah Valley University spokesperson confirmed today that Robinson is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. He also briefly attended Utah State University.
Donald Trump was the first to break the news of the investigation’s development. He announced “with a high degree of certainty” that law enforcement had arrested a suspect in an interview with Fox News earlier today.
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Mourners honor Charlie Kirk at vigil in London
Kevin Rawlinson
In London, dozens have gathered on Whitehall – the heart of the UK government – to hold a vigil in Kirk’s memory.
People wore Union flags, as well as Make America Great Again hats. And one flew a flag depicting Donald Trump and bearing the words “fight fight fight”.
Attached to railings near the statue of Field Marshall Montgomery was a large union flag that bore the words: “Psalm 125:3: For the scepter of wickedness will not rest on the land allotted the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.”
Cy Neff
in Washington, Utah
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old lead suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing, has a family residence in Washington, Utah, according public records - a small city located not far from the Arizona border and about 260 miles from where Kirk was killed in Orem.
Walter Williams, a neighbor who has lived in the same neighborhood as the family for four years, expressed surprise when he heard the news.
“I honestly didn’t know he lived here,” said Williams, 33, in an interview from the suburban streets of Washington. He called the neighborhood a “safe place”.
“Everybody knows each other, and takes care of each other,” he said.
Reflecting on America’s political division, Williams said that as a member of the Mormon church, he liked a lot of what Kirk said, but that he also respected everyone’s right to their own views.
“I know everybody has their own opinions, that’s totally fine. That’s what the US is about,” Williams said. “Having different opinions and not forcing that on each other, not taking it out on each other. We can have an open dialogue and respect each other for our own opinions because we’re all different and that’s the beauty of being human.”
Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the organization which Charlie Kirk founded, has issued a statement following the arrest of a suspect in connection with Kirk’s murder.
“We are profoundly grateful to the men and women of law enforcement who worked with such urgency, dedication, and courage to bring this person to justice,” the statement reads. “Their commitment has brought an important step toward closure in this incredibly painful time.
TPUSA posted a video tribute to Kirk on their social media channels late Thursday, which included some of Kirk’s past appearances, and footage of his family –including his widow, Erika.
“I know a lot of you have seen, obviously, his videos on TikTok, and all the stuff he does on campus, but no one gets to see him from my angle, except for myself and our children,” Erika said at a past TPUSA event, featured in the video.
As we learn more about the suspect accused of killing Charlie Kirk, here's a recap of the day so far
After nearly two days of searching, authorities announced today that they have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting and killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, at a speaking event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on Wednesday. Tyler Robinson, 22, is now in custody at Utah County Jail.
According to surveillance footage, authorities say that Robinson was seen arriving at the UVU campus on Wednesday in a Dodge Challenger.
FBI director Kash Patel said that Robinson was ultimately arrested in Washington County – which sits in the southwest corner of the state – at around 10pm local time on Thursday 11 September.
At a press conference earlier, governor Spencer Cox said that Robinson’s family friend turned him in, and told officers that Robinson “confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident”. Cox also said that a family member that investigators interviewed described Robinson as becoming “more political in recent years” and was aware that Kirk was due to speak at UVU.
The weapon used was identified as a high-action bolt rifle, and Cox noted that several bullet casings were found at the scene of the crime. One of three unfired casings read “Hey fascist! Catch!”, a second read “Oh Bella Ciao” (which is the name of an anti-fascist Italian anthem), and a third casing had the following engraved: “If you read this, you are gay, LMAO”.
Robinson has not been formally charged yet. Officials today said they have three days to prepare those documents, which will likely be filed early next week. According to court records obtained by CNN, Robinson is being held without bail on several initial charges, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice.
A Utah Valley University spokesperson confirmed today that Robinson is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. He also briefly attended Utah State University.
Donald Trump was the first to break the news of the investigation’s development. He announced “with a high degree of certainty” that law enforcement had arrested a suspect in an interview with Fox News earlier today.
Neighbor of suspect's family describes accused as 'respectful and quiet'
Anna Betts
Kristin Schwiermann, 66, a neighbor of the Robinson family, told the Guardian that Robinson was “very respectful and quiet” and “had friends.”
“He was smart” she said, and “aced his ACTs and got a full ride at university.”
“He’s from a very loving family” she said. “I love his mother, and he’s just a hard working family.”
The news, she added, “shocked the crap out of me, because we live in a very nice neighborhood, a very quiet neighborhood, we all know each other, and this just really just shocked me.”
“I didn’t think he would have done this” she said.
Congresswoman Mace to introduce resolution to have Charlie Kirk lie in honor in US Capitol
Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace said she will introduce a resolution “authorizing Charlie Kirk to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda” if his family “wish for him to be honored there”.
“He inspired millions, led countless souls to Christ, and never wavered in defense of the First Amendment. Such a legacy makes him uniquely worthy of this distinction,” she said.
Anna Betts
A Utah Valley University spokesperson has confirmed that: “Tyler James Robinson is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. He briefly attended Utah State University (one semester in 2021) and received concurrent enrollment credit through Utah Tech University while in high school (2019-2021).”
The suspect is being held without bail in Utah County Jail on the orders of a state magistrate judge.
According to court records obtained by CNN, magistrate judge Shawn Rice Howell signed an order to hold Tyler Robinson this morning.
Aamna Mohdin
For today’s instalment of our First Edition newsletter, my colleague Aamna Mohdin asks what the killing of Charlie Kirk means for a polarised US amid a climate of rising political violence. (Sign up for First Edition here!)
For some, Charlie Kirk’s killing marks a watershed moment in the politics of the US, a country long defined by deep polarisation and periodic outbreaks of violence. Not so for Cas Mudde, a Dutch political scientist and leading expert on populism and the far right who is based at the University of Georgia.
“This is an incredibly violent country. Yesterday, there was a separate mass shooting in a school where three students were killed,” Mudde said, pointing out that more than 300 incidents have been recorded so far this year. “Just remember that Trump was almost killed when he was a candidate and it didn’t change anything.”
That of course might be different now – he’s far more equipped to make changes related to this shooting now he’s president than he was when he was running for office.
But Mudde believes the current climate around gun violence in the US means that real change might still be hard to come by. He compares the US to where he grew up, the Netherlands. In the latter, the rightwing politician Pim Fortuyn, who led his anti-immigration party to a position of prominence in the Netherlands, was assassinated in 2002.
“The assassination of Fortuyn transformed the Netherlands in many ways. It helped normalise the far right, made Fortuyn a martyr, and created an anti-left backlash,” Mudde said. “I don’t think that you will see the same effect here because it is just not so remarkable, sadly, that a prominent person is being assassinated.”
To his point, Reuters released an investigation in late 2024 identifying more than 300 cases of political violence in the US since the January 6 insurrection – the biggest increase in such threats since the 1970s – only now more bloody, targeting people rather than bricks and mortar. But little has changed by way of policy since then.
Will Kirk’s death change this? Mudde argued that the Trump administration will continue their unprecedented attack on democratic institutions and norms in the US (and would have done so had Kirk been killed or not). But just how far the administration is able to go remains unclear.
Many of the Trump administration’s most far-reaching orders have been halted by the lower level courts, but some have been pushed through by the rightwing supreme court. “We’re living in this weird period where there is still a functioning, if imperfect, democracy, but with an authoritarian leader,” Mudde said.
What is clear is that the struggle over America’s democratic future is far from over.
Court records indicate that the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has not been convicted of any crimes in the past.
DOJ may bring federal charges against suspect this afternoon - report
Federal prosecutors are evaluating possible charges they could bring against the suspect, two sources familiar with the matter have told CNN, and those charges could be filed by the justice department as soon as this afternoon.
Tyler Robinson is currently being held at the Utah County Jail on multiple initial state charges, including aggravated murder. It is unclear if any federal charges would be in addition to or replace state charges.
Donald Trump told Fox News this morning that he hopes the suspected shooter gets the death penalty. Utah governor Spencer Cox has also said that state officials will “pursue the death penalty” in this case.
The fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk has punctuated the most sustained period of US political violence since the 1970s, Reuters notes.
The news agency has documented more than 300 cases of politically motivated violent acts across the ideological spectrum since supporters of Donald Trump attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The suspect is being held on multiple initial charges, an officer of the Utah County Jail told CNN this morning, including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice.
Robinson has not been charged formally yet, and initial charging documents aren’t available at this time, other authorities in Utah told CNN. The offenses are all state charges, NBC News reported.
Utah governor Spencer Cox said this morning that the state will be working on formal charging documents in the coming days, which would include additional information on probable cause for a case.
Authorities have three days to file those documents in preparation for a preliminary court hearing, where Robinson would first go before a judge, likely “early next week”, the governor said.
Per my earlier post, investigators shared information about the engraved bullet casings found near the weapon used by the shooter. Notably, one of the casings was engraved with “Bella Ciao”.
This, as my colleagues have reported, is the name of an anti-fascist anthem sung annually in Italy to commemorate the end of Mussolini’s dictatorship and the end of the Nazi regime in Germany.
Here’s a bit more about the origins of the song, and how it’s been used recently.
During the press conference, taking questions from reporters, Cox said that Kirk’s murder is a “watershed moment in American history”.
“Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history?,” he went on to say.
He compared this moment to the 1960s, and the political assassinations of the era, but instead we have videos of the killings circulating on social media.
“We have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery … this is not good for us,” Cox said.
