The suspect indicated to a family member he was connected to the shooting and had previously expressed opposition to Kirk’s viewpoints, authorities said.Here is the latest
Here is the latest
- Suspect Briefly Attended Utah State University
- Assassination Was ‘Attack on American Experiment’: Cox
- Robinson Believed to Have Acted Alone, Say Authorities
- Utah Gov Says Alleged Shooter Changed Clothes While on the Roof
- Charging Documents Expected ‘Early Next Week’: Cox
Suspect Briefly Attended Utah State University
A spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a statement that Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin of Charlie Kirk, briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021.
Robinson, said the spokesperson for Utah Valley University, is a junior in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College.
He also “received concurrent enrollment credit through Utah Tech University while in high school” between 2019 and 2021, according to the spokesperson.
Steven Dunham, director of communications for Washington County School District, confirmed to The Epoch Times that Robinson was enrolled in that school district from 2008 until 2021, when he graduated from high school.
By Jackson Richman and Savannah Hulsey Pointer
Assassination Was ‘Attack on American Experiment’: Cox
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the assassination of Charlie Kirk as a threat to democracy and the American way of life, during a Sept. 12 press conference.
“It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment,” Cox said.
“It is an attack on our ideals.”
Cox added that a nation built on the notion of free speech is endangered by political violence that dampens the spirit of the country.
“This cuts to the very foundation of who we are, of who we have been, and who we could be in better times,” Cox said.
“Political violence is different than any other type of violence for lots of different reasons. One, because in the very act that Charlie championed of expression, that freedom of expression that is enshrined in our founding documents, in having his life taken in that very act, makes it more difficult for people to feel like they can share their ideas, that they can speak freely.”
The governor called for a commitment to open dialogue and peaceful interactions.
“We will never be able to solve all the other problems, including the violence problems that people are worried about, if we can’t have a clash of ideas safely and securely, especially those ideas with which you disagree,” Cox said.
“That’s why this matters so much.”
Robinson Believed to Have Acted Alone, Say Authorities
Authorities believe that Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, did not have any accomplices.
“We do not at this time have any information that would lead to additional arrests,” Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference on Sept. 12.
When asked whether Robinson acted alone, Cox said, “Yes, but the investigation is ongoing.”
Cox previously announced that Robinson had allegedly sent messages to a friend via social media platform Discord regarding the retrieval of a rifle that he allegedly used to shoot Kirk. That friend, who was not named by authorities, appears to be cooperating with investigators and is not a suspect.
By Arjun Singh
Utah Gov Says Alleged Shooter Changed Clothes While on the Roof
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said that Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, changed clothes sometime between when he was first spotted on campus and when he left the roof from where he fired the fatal bullet.
Speaking at a press conference on Sept. 12, Cox said that law enforcement believes that Robinson changed clothes on the roof, and then changed back into the outfit he was wearing before he shot Kirk and was wearing at the time he was apprehended.
“The clothing matched the clothing he had on before the shooting here at [the university],” Cox said.
Charging Documents Expected ‘Early Next Week’: Cox
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters during the Sept. 12 press conference that charging documents are expected early next week for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk.
“We’ll have more detailed information then … in preparation for a preliminary hearing,” Cox said.
“The county attorney will be working very closely with the Kirk family as those charging documents and decisions are prepared and made.”
State law allows three days for officials to gather evidence and file charges while the suspect is in custody.
Suspect Not a Student at UVU: Cox
The suspect behind the Charlie Kirk assassination, Tyler Robinson, was not a student at Utah Valley University (UVU), Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at the Sept. 12 press conference.
Robinson was living with his family in Washington County, in Utah’s southwest, about a 3 ½-hour drive to Utah Valley University, Cox said.
Can’t Discuss Motive: Cox
In response to a question from a reporter at the Sept. 12 press conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he could not discuss a motive behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Alleged Assassin’s Bullet Casings Inscribed With Political Messages: Utah Gov
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced at a press conference that investigators discovered bullet casings in the weapon suspected to have been used in the Charlie Kirk assassination. The bullets were allegedly inscribed with messages.
The fired casing was marked, “Notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?” he said.
Three unfired rounds found in the rifle were also allegedly inscribed.
One allegedly read, “Hey fascists! Catch!” It also had a drawn up arrow, a right arrow, and three down arrow symbols.
Another round allegedly read, “O bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao,” seemingly referring to an Italian anti-fascist song from WWII.
And the last casing was allegedly inscribed with, “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”
It is unclear how or when the markings were made.
The evidence was discovered north of the campus, near the road in a grassy area lined with trees, the governor said. The Mauser .30-06 bolt action rifle was wrapped in a dark colored towel.
Utah Gov Says Alleged Assassin Messaged Roommate About the Shooting
Investigators found that Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, exchanged messages on Discord that revealed details of the shooting, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced at a press conference
According to Cox, investigators saw messages sent to Robinson’s roommate, whose identity has not been revealed, including notes about the need to retrieve a rifle, and messages related to watching the area where the rifle was left, and other items left with it.
The messages also allegedly referenced engraved bullets and offered details about the uniqueness of the rifle’s scope.
Suspected Charlie Kirk Assassin Identified as Tyler Robinson
The person suspected of assassinating Charlie Kirk has been caught and confessed to a family member, said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
“We got him,” said Cox at a press conference in Utah.
The suspect has been identified as Tyler Robinson.
Utah Governor Warns of Disinformation by China, Russia After Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has cautioned that Chinese and Russian bots are generating and spreading misleading content online to “encourage violence” in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Kirk, a prominent political commentator and conservative influencer, was fatally shot while on stage at an event held at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He was 31.
At the press conference on Sept. 11, Cox said that there is a “tremendous amount of disinformation” being monitored by state authorities.
By Dorothy Li
Trump: ‘The Father Convinced the Son’ to Turn Himself In
Speaking from the “Fox & Friends” studio, President Donald Trump said on Friday that the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination was turned in by his own father.
Trump initially said a minister who was involved with law enforcement contacted a friend who is a top U.S. Marshal.
“And they took it from there,” Trump said, noting that the suspect’s father later became involved and turned his son in.
“The father convinced the son.”
Trump said this was based on what he had just been told before going on air, and could be subject to change.
By Emel Akan
Suspect Has Been Caught: Trump
President Donald Trump said that the suspect behind the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk is in custody.
“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” he said on Fox News on Friday morning.
Trump said a minister who was involved in law enforcement turned the suspect in.
“Somebody that was very close to him said, ‘Hmm, that’s him,’” the president said.
Trump called for a “quick trial” for the suspect.
The suspect was driven to police headquarters and, as of press time, is currently there.
The FBI on Wednesday released images and footage of the suspect and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
Trump called for capital punishment for the shooter.
“I hope he gets the death penalty,” he said.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has also called for the death penalty for the suspect.
“We’ve been working with our attorneys getting everything that we need—affidavits—ready so that we can pursue the death penalty in this case, and that will happen here in the state of Utah again,” he said at a Sept. 11 evening press conference.
Trump reiterated his call for Kirk’s supporters to be non-violent in response to the assasination.
“He’d want revenge at the ballot box,” he said.
The president said he will attend Kirk’s funeral.
“I believe it’s in Arizona,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve asked me to go, and I think I have an obligation to do it.”
Charlie Kirk Assassination Stirs Fears of Rising Political Violence
The Sept. 10 death of Charlie Kirk—the highest-profile American political figure to be assassinated in nearly six decades—represents a tipping point for the nation, legal scholars and others told The Epoch Times. How leaders and the populace react to it could determine whether the tide of political violence continues to rise—or recedes.
The 31-year-old father of two was fatally shot in the neck as he spoke on a Utah college campus. As of Sept. 11, the gunman remained unidentified and on the loose; police detained two people but released both after questioning.
Susan MacManus, a Florida political scholar for a half-century, said Kirk’s slaying could spark important changes.
By Janice Hisle and Savannah Hulsey Pointer
Kirk Assassination Reverberates Through Orem
OREM, Utah—The assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 has reverberated across the United States and beyond.
On Thursday, in Orem, where Kirk was killed while speaking to students, shock, sadness, and even anger were palpable under the high desert sun. So too was appreciation for the 31-year-old’s faith in God and his commitment to peaceful political debate.
Law enforcement patrolled Utah Valley University, the scene of the crime.
How the Assassination of Charlie Kirk Unfolded
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed by a single gunshot at a crowded event at a Utah college on Sept. 10. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox described the act as a “political assassination.”
Authorities are searching for Kirk’s killer and have released photos of a person of interest, seeking help from the public in their manhunt.
Here’s what we know about the shooting and the aftermath so far.
By T.J. Muscaro
The Assassination
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, in the first campus event of TPUSA’s American Comeback tour.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, in the first campus event of TPUSA’s American Comeback tour.
By noon, an estimated 3,000 students had gathered around his tent, which displayed his challenge to the students “prove me wrong.”
Six university police officers were on duty at the event, along with Kirk’s own private security team, according to authorities.
By T.J. Muscaro
