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Utah authorities announced Friday that a suspect has been arrested in the fatal shooting of conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk, whose death during a campus event at Utah Valley University has shaken the political world.
“We got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, calling the killing a “political assassination.”
“This is certainly about the tragic death, assassination — political assassination — of Charlie Kirk,” Cox said. “But it is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. It is an attack on our ideals.”
Suspect identified as Utah man
Cox identified the suspect as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident. A family member of Robinson reportedly contacted authorities after he confessed or implied involvement in Kirk’s killing during a private conversation.
Robinson is believed to have acted alone, though investigators are continuing their review. According to Cox, family members told investigators that Robinson had “become more political in recent years” and had voiced anger about Kirk’s planned appearance at UVU.
Authorities said they recovered a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a dark towel near the campus. Shell casings nearby carried inscriptions including taunts like “Hey fascist! Catch!” along with crude memes, internet references, and lines from the Italian resistance song “Bella Ciao,” popularized in recent years by the Netflix series Money Heist.
Trump: “I hope he gets the death penalty”
President Donald Trump first confirmed on Fox & Friends Friday morning that a suspect was in custody.
“I think with high degree of certainty, we have him,” Trump said, crediting a minister who recognized FBI-released images and alerted law enforcement. “I hope he’s going to be found guilty — I would imagine — and I hope he gets the death penalty.”
Trump praised Kirk as a critical force in his political movement. “I’ve never seen young people, or any group, go to one person like they did to Charlie,” he said, noting that Donald Trump Jr. had described Kirk as being like another son to the president.
Trump said donations were pouring into Turning Point USA, the youth-focused conservative group Kirk founded, and that Kirk’s family intends to keep the organization running.
A shaken campus and political climate
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot Wednesday while addressing a crowd of about 3,000 at UVU’s Orem campus. Video circulating online appears to show him clutching his neck and collapsing after a single shot was fired.
The attack, coming during a season of heightened political tension, has deepened fears about escalating violence. “It feels like rage is the only option,” Gov. Cox said Friday, urging young Americans to reject a culture of anger and division.
“Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now,” he added.
