The man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University wrote a note pledging to “take out” the conservative leader before opening fire, the FBI’s top official disclosed Monday.
Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, remains jailed on suspicion of aggravated murder and several related felonies in connection with the Sept. 10 shooting. Prosecutors are expected to file formal charges when Robinson makes his first court appearance later this week.
Patel said Kirk was shot at 12:23 p.m. local time, and FBI personnel were on scene within 16 minutes. The bureau released surveillance images of the suspect the following evening, and Robinson was taken into custody at 10 p.m. Sept. 11 after his father recognized the photographs and alerted authorities, according to the director.
“We apprehended our suspect in 33 hours because we were transparent and open with the American public,” Patel said, contrasting the swift timeline with longer manhunts in past cases.
Patel detailed a trove of forensic evidence collected within hours of the attack. Agents recovered a screwdriver from a campus rooftop and a towel wrapped around the discarded firearm, the director said. “The DNA hits from the towel … and the DNA on the screwdriver are positively processed for the suspect,” he told the program. The gun itself is being analyzed at an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives laboratory in Maryland, according to Patel.
Investigators also seized the suspect’s cell phone records, pinpointing key locations and contacts with geofencing and tower data, Patel said. He added that the FBI is pursuing search warrants to examine a Discord chat room that contains “scores of individuals” who may have communicated with Robinson before or after the shooting.
The governor said Robinson’s friends confirmed heavy gaming and late-night forays into Reddit and other forums. “Clearly, there was a lot of gaming going on,” Cox said. He repeated the assessment on ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union,” adding that ammunition found at the scene was inscribed with meme-style taunts such as “Hey, fascist! Catch!” and lyrics from the anti-fascist song “Bella Ciao.”
Investigators executed a search warrant at Robinson’s family home in Washington, about 240 miles from the Orem campus, and interviewed relatives who said the suspect had become more political.
Patel confirmed that family members had told agents Robinson “subscribed to left-wing ideology, and even more so in these last couple of years.” He also said investigators retrieved a text exchange in which Robinson claimed, “he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for.”
The director said more than 20 people participated in a post-assassination group chat and that “scores” of users could face questioning once investigators complete the necessary legal steps. He declined to discuss potential charges against a person who exchanged messages with Robinson about the opportunity to shoot Kirk, saying those decisions rest with the Justice Department.
Patel likewise would not confirm whether anyone could be prosecuted for failing to report Robinson’s apparent intentions, saying, “Our investigation is ongoing. That’s a great question, and we don’t have an answer on that just yet.”
Kirk’s assassination has triggered a surge of firings and suspensions for public figures who posted celebratory or mocking comments online. Among those ousted are MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd, a Carolina Panthers communications staffer, and DC Comics writer Gretchen Felker-Martin. Delta Air Lines has suspended several employees for social media posts that the carrier said exceeded “healthy, respectful debate.”
Turning Point USA, the conservative organization Kirk founded, has scheduled a public memorial for Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix. During a Friday livestream, Erika Kirk vowed to continue her late husband’s campus tours and media programs. “The movement my husband built will not die,” she said.
Robinson remains held without bail at the Utah County Jail, and authorities have not said whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty. Patel told Fox, “He has not been cooperating in terms of interrogations with our law enforcement officials.”