‘We got him’: Authorities say Charlie Kirk shooting suspect in custody

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced Friday morning that a suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.

“We got him,” Cox said at a news conference Friday with the FBI and local authorities.

He identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah.

On Wednesday, Kirk, the 31-year-old Turning Point USA leader, was shot in the neck while he was speaking at Utah Valley University; he was pronounced dead a few hours later. 

On Thursday evening, a family member of Robinson reached out to a friend who contacted authorities with information that Robinson confessed or implied that he had committed the shooting, Cox said. Authorities found the suspect early Friday morning and took him into custody, he said.

Cox said individuals close to Robinson told authorities that he had become “more political in recent years.”

Authorities also were told of a recent conversation between Robinson and a family member in which they talked about Kirk coming to UVU, and the reasons why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints he had, the governor said. In the conversation, Kirk was described as “spreading hate” and “full of hate,” he said.

The governor said authorities also found inscriptions on the bullet casings near what they believe to be the murder weapon. They included “notices, bulges OWO what’s this?” “hey fascist catch!” and “if you read this you are gay lmao.”

Another casing was inscribed with the words “oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao,” Cox said. Independent journalist Andy Ngo wrote on X that, “The lyrics are to an old Italian protest song now used by Antifa as a theme song.”

Cox thanked Robinson’s family “who did the right thing” by cooperating with authorities and helping to bring the suspect into the custody of law enforcement.

CNN reports more:

Suspected shooter Tyler Robinson’s roommate showed investigators messages on Discord, a group chat app, where Robinson talked about retrieving a rifle, according to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

The roommate opened Discord and “allowed investigators to take photos of the screen as each message was shown by Robinson’s mate,” Cox said today at a news briefing.

“The content of these included messages affiliated with the contact Tyler, stating a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point, leaving the rifle in a bush, messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left, and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel,” Cox detailed.

“The messages also refer to engraving bullets and a mention of a scope, and the rifle being unique. Messages from the contact Tyler also mentioned that he had changed outfits,” Cox noted.

Earlier Friday in an interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump praised local authorities for working around the clock to find the suspect. He said he would like to see the murderer receive the death penalty.

“Kirk was the finest person, and he didn’t deserve this,” Trump said.

On Thursday, the FBI released photos of a suspect, and described him as a college age male.

During a press conference Thursday, authorities also said they found what they believed to be the murder weapon, a palm print, and other evidence. 

Earlier, the Associated Press reported that authorities detained two people after the shooting “but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released.”

Kirk, a political and cultural Christian activist who led a massive and effective outreach organization debating liberal students and educating on conservative issues on campuses across the country, was shot in the neck as he spoke to a crowd of thousands.

Earlier this week, Gov. Cox has described the Turning Point USA leader’s death as a “political assassination.”