5 Things To Know About Tyler Robinson, Charlie Kirk's Accused Killer

OREM, UT — A Utah man has been arrested in connection with the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot Wednesday while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.

The man was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed at a news conference on Friday morning alongside FBI Director Kash Patel. Robinson was taken into custody less than 36 hours after police said he shot Kirk.

"We got him," Cox said.

Kirk, an Illinois native, was killed by a single shot in what police said was a targeted attack and Cox called a political assassination. Kirk co-founded the nonprofit political organization Turning Point USA, based in Arizona.

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Kirk had been speaking at a debate hosted by Turning Point at Utah Valley University at the time of the shooting. He was taken to a local hospital and was pronounced dead hours later.

During Friday's news conference, authorities revealed new details about Robinson and his activities leading up the shooting. Here's what we know:

Robinson Identified By A Family Member

On Friday, Gov. Cox confirmed a family member of Robinson had reached out to a family friend, who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed or implied that he killed Kirk.

Authorities later identified Robinson arriving at UVU on the morning of the shooting in a gray Dodge Challenger.

When he was arrested Thursday night, Cox said Robinson was wearing clothing that was consistent with that pictured in surveillance images.

Robinson Knew Kirk Was Visiting UVU

According to Cox, family members told authorities that Robinson had become more political in recent years.

A family member also told investigators about an incident where Robinson came to dinner and mentioned Kirk was coming to UVU.

"He talked about why he didn't like (Kirk) and his viewpoints," Cox said. "He mentioned (Kirk) was full of hate and spreading hate."

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Robinson Discussed Obtaining Gun On Social Media

Authorities also interviewed Robinson's roommate, who showed investigators several messages that Robinson had sent them on Discord. According to authorities, one of the messages stated that Robinson needed to retrieve a rifle from a drop point.

Some messages referred to Robinson watching the spot where he had left the rifle after Kirk's shooting and that the rifle was wrapped in a towel, which is how investigators found it.

Investigators Found Inscriptions On Bullet Casings

Authorities said they also discovered inscriptions on some of the bullet casings found with the rifle.

The inscription on the fired casing said: "notices, bulges, OWO, what's this?"

Three unfired casings also had inscriptions, according to Cox.

One read, "Hey fascists! Catch!" while a second said, "Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao."

The third stated, "If you read this, you are gay LMAO."

Robinson Attended Utah State University

Robinson attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021, a spokesperson for the university told NBC News. The spokesperson also confirmed he is not currently enrolled at the school.

On Thursday, a video shown by authorities appeared to show Robinson running across a rooftop at the university where authorities said he fired the fatal shot Wednesday.

The video shows the suspect jumping from the building before running into the nearby woods.

Police tracked his movements from surveillance footage and found a rifle believed to be the murder weapon left in the woods.

On Friday, FBI Director Patel said the investigation into Kirk's shooting remains active. He also addressed Kirk before concluding.

“To my friend, Charlie Kirk: Rest now, brother. We have the watch. And I’ll see you in Valhalla,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.