What we know about the shooting of Charlie Kirk
- Law enforcement officials on Friday announced the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson for the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.
- Kirk, a conservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University. He was speaking to a large crowd at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” debate, where he invites students to challenge his political and cultural views.
- Authorities shared a video late Thursday of the suspect climbing down from a roof following the shooting, after sharing images throughout the day of a “person of interest” and asking the public for help in identifying the individual.
- Kirk’s body returned to his home state of Arizona on Vice President JD Vance’s plane Thursday.
- President Trump paid tribute to Kirk, and elected officials on both sides of the aisle swiftly condemned the attack and denounced acts of political violence.
Robinson’s father recognized his son from the photographs and confronted him
Tyler Robinson’s father saw the photos released by authorities and confronted his son about them, two federal law enforcement sources told CBS News.
Robinson admitted to his father that he was the person in the photos, those sources said. Robinson’s father urged him to turn himself in, but Robinson said he would rather commit suicide than turn himself in, the federal law enforcement sources said.
Robinson’s father called a youth pastor who knows Tyler and is close to the family, and he and the pastor tried to calm Robinson down. The sources said the pastor, who also serves as a court security officer, called the U.S. Marshals. The Marshals detained Robinson and kept him secure, while waiting for the FBI. The FBI then took Robinson into custody.
Kirk’s organization TPUSA expresses gratitude for law enforcement after suspect in shooting taken into custody
Turning Point USA issued a new statement Friday thanking law enforcement after the man accused of assassinating Kirk was arrested and urged the public to continue praying for Kirk’s wife, family and the group’s members.
“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,” Turning Point USA said in a statement posted to its X account. “Their commitment has brought an important step toward closure in this incredibly painful time.”
Patel says suspect was taken into custody Thursday night
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the pace of the investigation into Kirk’s assassination and said the suspected gunman was apprehended in “historic” time.
“In 33 hours, we have made historic progress for Charlie,” Patel said.
The FBI director walked through the timeline of the bureau’s actions and said Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. local time (midnight ET) Thursday, although Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had said investigators encountered Robinson in the early hours of Sept. 12. Utah officials said he was taken into custody overnight.
Patel said the FBI has received at least 11,000 leads, all of which will be looked into.
Cox details lead-up to Robinson’s arrest
At a news conference Friday morning, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox laid out the events that led to Robinson’s arrest. The governor said that on the evening of Sept. 11, a family member reached out to a family friend, who then contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had allegedly confessed or implied he committed the shooting at Utah Valley University.
