What to know about the killing of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA
A -year-old Utah man was arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event on a college campus executives stated Friday We got him Gov Spencer Cox notified reporters at a news conference announcing the arrest of Tyler Robinson in Wednesday s killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University He was taken into custody Thursday night and is due in court early next week Investigators believe he acted alone officials mentioned Kirk the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA was a top podcaster lifestyle warrior and ally of President Donald Trump He led an effort to remake the GOP s get-out-the-vote effort in the ballot based on the theory there were thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to do so His killing was the latest in a string of attacks on U S politicians that have targeted members of both major parties Here s what to know about Kirk s shooting Suspect is arrested Cox a Republican stated a family member of Robinson s reached out to a friend who contacted bureaucrats with information that Robinson had confessed or implied that he carried out the shooting I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing he commented Robinson s father recognized him from images distributed by personnel and encouraged him to turn himself in a law enforcement official described 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 probe Robinson s father reached out for help to a youth pastor who helped Robinson turn himself in the official disclosed The governor would not say if Robinson is cooperating with the review Robinson was being held Friday 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 according to a court affidavit A judge ordered that he be held without bail It was unclear Friday if Robinson had an attorney Calls to a phone number listed as his rang unanswered The Utah County attorney s office stated it expects to file formal charges by Tuesday when Robinson is due to make an initial court appearance According to Cox Robinson s family mentioned he had become more political in newest years and had criticized Kirk mentioning that he was due to appear at an upcoming event in Utah and saying Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate A rifle hidden in a towel was recovered in a wooded area near the university campus There was a spent cartridge in the chamber and three other rounds loaded in the magazine Cox also noted bullet casings revealed at the crime scene were engraved with messages One of three unspent casings read hey fascist catch another that read if you read this you are gay lmao and a third referenced Bella Ciao a classic Italian song popular with the political left FBI Director Kash Patel lauded the law enforcement response to the shooting saying In hours we have made historic progress for Charlie Politicians unite in condemning the attack Kirk s assassination is an attack on the American experiment and values and cuts to the very foundation of who we are Cox disclosed He noted that people have solicited why there s been so a great number of support dedicated to examining Kirk s killing when there s violence around the country but that a politically motivated shooting is much bigger than an attack on an individual It is an attack on all of us Kirk s killing was swiftly condemned by Republicans and Democrats alike Democratic California Gov Gavin Newsom who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast posted on X The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting vile and reprehensible Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation The president who sustained a minor ear injury when he was shot at a campaign event last year explained he and Kirk had a close relationship He demanded to help young people and he didn t deserve this Trump commented Friday He was really a good person One gunshot fired from a roof Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point when the shooter fired from a distant rooftop agents noted Videos posted on social media show Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent A single shot rings out and Kirk reaches up with his right hand as blood gushes from the left side of his neck Utah Valley is the state s largest population university with an enrollment of It s about miles kilometers south of the state capital Salt Lake City The university canceled classes through the week and closed the campus until at least Monday The hunt for Kirk s killer Hours before Robinson s arrest the FBI commented it was looking for a person of interest in the shooting and circulated a series of photos showing the person wearing a hat sunglasses a long-sleeve black shirt and a backpack Police shared video of the person racing across the roof of the building from where leadership say the shot was fired dropping down to the ground and walking off campus Leadership explained Friday that Robinson is not a scholar at Utah Valley and that he has been living with family Kirk s rise from Trump aide to major conservative influencer Kirk was years old when he co-founded Turning Point in suburban Chicago in with William Montgomery a tea party activist They aimed to take their ideas for low taxes and limited administration to college campuses Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination for president in Kirk served as a personal aide to the then-candidate s eldest son Donald Trump Jr during the general voting process campaign Kirk also was known for provocative statements on race that he used to court Gen Z voters I m sorry If I see a Black pilot I m going to be like Boy I hope he s qualified Kirk announced during a podcast with fellow conservative activist Jack Posobiec Kirk staunchly opposed the enactment of Juneteenth as a federal holiday Trump announced Thursday that he would posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk at a later date Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst contributed Source
